It's The Blood
by starzee
Summary: He wasn't sure he had it in him to resist... ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 1

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><p><em>Start of 'Ghost World' but Caroline finds Damon instead of Stefan and Mason is corporeal<em>

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><p>Damon woke up and groaned a little in pain. His eyes attempted to focus and he tried to move to no avail... then he noticed the fireplace poker through his chest. He noticed he was tied to the chair.<p>

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He muttered to himself. "Oh, Stefan." He groaned instantly suspecting his brother. Damon heard the door to the boarding house open and seconds later Caroline stepped into the living room and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed then hurried over to Damon and in truth he was kind of relieved to see her. He figured, despite everything, she would probably be one of the few who wouldn't leave him like that. "Are you okay?" She asked as she grabbed hold of the poker, about to yank it out. Before Damon could respond, Caroline was pushed hard away from him and she landed on her ass on the floor. Both of them looked up and saw Mason standing there.

"Not this time, doll face." He sneered but before Damon could comment again, Caroline cocked her head to the side and her eyes narrowed at the wolf.

"So you're corporeal. Good to know." She quipped then in a blur she was in front of him and she booted him full force in the balls and he fell to his knees with a strangled cry from the sheer _pain_ of vampire strength to the nads. Damon chuckled... though now he was quite sure he would _never_ piss Blondie off again because that would be excruciating.

"You bitch." Mason seethed unable to move from the pain.

"That's rich coming from you, _puppy_." She said with distaste and Damon smirked at her. She grabbed hold of the poker and yanked it out and Damon bit his lip so he wouldn't groan. He wouldn't give the wolf the satisfaction.

"I'm dead. You can't kill me." Mason said though it was clear he was trying hard not to cry from the pain.

"No, but you can obviously feel." Caroline said then rammed the poker into his chest and Mason yelled out in agony. "_You_ don't touch him." Caroline warned Mason pointing to Damon, surprising both of them. Damon was shocked she'd stuck the poker into Mason's chest! Caroline grabbed the chains at Damon's chest and pulled hard then pulled on the ties at both of his arms then at his legs. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet then noticed his ring on the floor. She bent down and picked it up then handed it to him and he took it and put it on his finger. "Anyway, I have stuff to do. You deal with the dog." Caroline said to Damon then turned on her heel and walked over to the basement while Damon stared after her in disbelief. She'd helped him for _nothing _in return. She'd defended him and hadn't even expected a thank you or _anything_. Damon had no idea how she could possibly be protective of him, let alone only shortly after he bit her father.

By the time Caroline came back upstairs, Mason was tied to the chair. She wandered over to Damon and handed him a blood bag and internally he was shocked at that.

"Thanks." Damon winked at her and she just shrugged but internally, she was shocked he even acknowledged it.

"Guessing I should go tell Bonnie about the dog's appearance, huh?" Caroline asked him.

"Tyler is so wrong about you." Mason glared at her and she scowled at him.

"_Tyler _isn't a horrible ass like you are. You hit me first, jackass." She said to him annoyed.

"I pushed you! You kicked me in the balls!" He exclaimed and she shrugged.

"Your mother ever tell you not to hit a girl?" She asked him and he hesitated. "Bet she did. Well _my_ mother told me that if a guy hits you, you kick them in the balls." She glared at him and Damon chuckled. He could just imagine the Sheriff saying that to her. "So, Damon? Bonnie?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, tell her something she did obviously screwed things up." He said.

"Okay. You know... since he's dead, you could probably rip his heart out repeatedly." Caroline smirked at Damon deviously then turned on her heel and left while Damon chuckled. He had no idea the bubbly little blonde had _any_ darkness.

"Call me with what she says." Damon called to her.

"I will." She called back then left the house.

"Now, what do you want?" Damon asked Mason crossing his arms over his chest.

"An apology." Mason replied and Damon looked at him like he was an idiot.

"You're joking, right? I only tried to kill _you_ first with the silver. You retaliated by trying to kill me _and_ my brother when he'd done nothing to you. You threatened to out Blondie to the Sheriff. You threatened to kill Elena. Why _wouldn't_ I kill you?" Damon asked him annoyed.

"You know, when you're dead, you just stay here and watch people make complete asses of themselves. You do know the blonde is in love with you, right?" He asked Damon who just rolled his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous. She's currently banging your nephew." Damon replied.

"Yeah, but she doesn't have actual feelings for him. She only sees him as a friend." Mason replied. "It's quite funny how much of an idiot you are, you know. I've seen you when you're alone. I've seen you write in your journal when nobody else is around." Mason said and Damon glared at him for that considering nobody knew he did that. "You write about how Elena will never be able to accept you and you have to change everything about yourself just to please her when all you want is to be accepted for who you are. The blonde loves _you_. Just the way you are. Regardless of everything you did to her. She likes that you're a bit of a monster because it makes her feel better about being a bit of a monster too." Mason said and Damon just stared at him.

"Are you quite done talking out your ass?" Damon asked annoyed and Mason chuckled.

"You like her back, you know." Mason teased and Damon looked at him like he was nuts. "You write about her _all the time_. You should go back and read what you've written. You write about Caroline more than you write about anyone else." Mason smirked and Damon's jaw hardened. He didn't believe that for a second.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Damon snapped.

"Don't I?" Mason cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No, you don't." Damon said and Mason smirked.

"If you say so." He said amused.

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><p>Damon eventually managed to get the information out of Mason. He took the poker out of Mason's chest but left him tied to the chair. He was trying his best not to let the wolf get to him with all his Caroline talk but he couldn't help thinking about it. The first thing he was going to do when all of this was over with was sit and reread everything he'd written... just in case. Damon didn't want to go down into the cave by himself in case it was a trap so he reluctantly called Caroline and asked her to come with him since if anything happened, she was a vampire too. She walked down into the Lockwood cellar.<p>

"Hey." Caroline said and Damon nodded to her. He noticed then how hot she looked... when did he ever think stuff like that? He shook his head. "So what do you need me to do?" She asked and Damon had to concentrate on not turning that sentence into something dirty.

"Mason said that there's information on killing Klaus in that cave." Damon pointed to the whole in the wall he'd made.

"So you wanted to make sure it isn't a trap?" She asked curiously and he nodded. "Okay, cool, let's go then." She said and internally he was shocked that she just trusted him. She trusted him to go into a dark cave where nobody knew where she was... he was kind of weirded out by that. She climbed through the hole after grabbing the other lantern Damon had and he was surprised that she went first but he followed her through. They walked through a tunnel for a while.

"Judgy come up with anything?" Damon asked.

"She has to destroy the necklace." Caroline replied and Damon nodded. He noticed that her expression flashed fury for a second and that intrigued him.

"What has you so pissed?" He asked curiously and she looked at him kind of surprised that he would give a crap what had her so pissed off.

"Jeremy cheated on Bonnie with Anna." Caroline replied and Damon looked surprised.

"Does Bonnie know that?" Damon asked and Caroline shook her head.

"No, not yet. Elena caught them and told me on the phone." Caroline replied.

"She deserves better than that child anyway." Damon commented and internally Caroline was shocked he would say something like that.

"Is it terrible that I kind of want you to snap his neck again to teach him a lesson?" She asked and he chuckled.

"No, you're pissed for your friend. I get it." He replied. "But it wouldn't help." He said and Caroline looked at him surprised.

"Why?" She asked.

"He's sixteen. He's not going to know any better for a while." He said surprising her. "Just tell her she's way too hot for baby Gilbert." He smirked at her and she chuckled.

"I will." She agreed. "I'm just furious at him considering he pursued her big time when he was obviously still in love with Anna. So he was obviously just trying to fill the void. It's not fair." She said and Damon was hit by the realisation that he'd done the same thing with Elena... that got him seriously thinking.

"She's strong, Caroline. I'm sure the ice cream and chick flicks and shopping you'll inflict on her will make her feel better." He smirked and she laughed a little at him saying that.

"Maybe. I'd really like to take her away for a fun weekend somewhere though." She commented and he didn't know _what_ possessed him to do it...

"I have an apartment in Miami if you want to take her there." Damon suggested and she turned her head to look at him in shock.

"Really?" She asked surprised and he nodded.

"Lots of partying and shopping there plus the beaches and it's warm." He shrugged. "Both of you could probably do with a break from everything." He said.

"You'd let us stay at your place?" She asked confused and he smirked.

"If I also buy the flights, will you stop being pissed at me?" He asked and internally she was _shocked_ at him _wanting_ her not to be pissed at him.

"Pissed at you for what?" She asked cocking an eyebrow and he chuckled.

"Anything? Everything? Take your pick." He said and she realised this might be the only form of apology she might ever get from him considering he didn't know how to behave like a normal person anymore.

"I'll think about it." She smirked at him and he chuckled.

"You do that." He said amused just as they got to a fork in the tunnel.

"Let's split up. I'll yell if I find anything." She said.

"You sure?" He asked sceptically and she nodded. She went down the left tunnel and he went down the right. They both walked for a few minutes when Caroline saw a huge wooden spike heading for her but she couldn't move in time so it impaled her through the stomach. As soon as the first one hit two more criss-crossed through her. The pain was so excruciating that her voice caught in her throat and she didn't scream. She couldn't. She whimpered a little and tried to dislodge the spear but it burned her hand. Dammit, she hated vervain. She so desperately wanted to not have to yell for Damon like a damsel. She tried to move but the spears just stretched the wounds and the pain was unbearable. Crap. She was going to have to yell for Damon.

"Damon." She called.

"Find something?" She heard him call from the distance.

"Uh... I'm kind of stuck." She called back. She could just imagine him rolling his eyes. He appeared about a minute later and his jaw dropped.

"Stuck? Fucking hell! How the hell did you not scream?" He asked concerned.

"It hurt too much to scream." She gasped a little because the vervain was burning her wounds. "The spears are covered in vervain." She commented and Damon could hear the pain in her voice and he was shocked but so proud of how strong she was. He pulled his jacket off quickly and covered his hands then broke the tops of the spears from the wall and Caroline bit her lip so she wouldn't make a sound. She hated showing weakness any time but more so in front of Damon.

"Ready?" He asked her when he was about to pull them out and she nodded. He pulled the three spears out at vampire speed so it would be over quickly and she stumbled a little but he caught her. He realised then how close she was to him considering they were face to face and he had his arms around her waist and she was staring up at him. He saw how weak she was after that so he turned his head to the side exposing his neck. "Bite me." He said to her and her eyes widened.

"What?" She asked surprised.

"My blood turned you. It'll help you heal." He said. She was in agony so she wasn't going to argue. That and being able to bite Damon was kind of a secret thrill for her. She allowed her face to change then she leaned forward and gently bit down on his neck. Damon was surprised at how softly she did it. He'd kind of expected her to take a chunk out of him but she didn't. He had to concentrate so he wouldn't groan in pleasure considering as a vampire it was so _hot_ to be bitten. He started thinking about things that were just _not_ hot considering she was pressed against him, drinking from him and they were alone in a dark cave and there was only so much self-control Damon could force. He didn't think it would be appreciated if he pushed her up against the cave wall and had his way with her.

Caroline was stunned at just how _incredible_ his blood was. She figured it was because he was her sire technically but she loved every drop of it. It was like the best chocolate she'd ever had. Maybe... the best blood she'd ever had too. She didn't want to stop but she knew she'd have to. She was shocked at how rapidly she could feel her wounds healing. She was shocked that Damon was letting her do this. She pulled away then and licked her lips and allowed her face to change back. She took a step back from him and lifted up her top and her wounds were completely gone. She looked up at Damon surprised to find him smirking.

"How did it heal so fast?" She asked confused.

"Sire blood is the best blood a vampire can have to heal themselves." He replied and she looked surprised.

"Thank you." She said and he shrugged.

"I owe you a few more bites than that I think." He winked at her and she looked surprised. "You want to keep going or do you want to go feed?" He asked her.

"Honestly, I feel amazing now." She said and he chuckled. "So let's keep going. The splitting up thing is a bad idea though and I doubt that vampire contraption would have been there if this tunnel was a dead end." She commented and he nodded that made sense. When did Blondie start being so quick with the logic? She walked ahead of him and he was surprised that she was brave enough to continue first when she had just been _impaled_. She seemed quite unconcerned so Damon watched the walls and the ceiling just in case there was another vampire trap. They walked for several minutes when something glinted and he reacted without thinking just in the nick of time. He pinned Caroline to the side of the cave just as yet another wooden spike contraption sprung out and she gasped in surprise at how quickly that had happened _and_ that Damon had gotten her out of the way of it.

Damon hadn't been so lucky. The end of one of the diagonal spears was lodged in his back but Blondie hadn't called out when she got triple impaled so there was _no way in hell_ that he was acknowledging the pain though he had to admit it _seriously_ hurt considering the spikes were drenched in vervain too. He had no idea how Caroline had three of them in her without making a sound because he felt his eyes wanting to sting with tears at the pain of just _one_. He knew he'd been so wrong about her but every time he showed her the slightest bit of kindness, she was always so nice to him that it only proved how much of a monster he was so he recoiled from her. He wasn't entirely sure how to behave now considering he'd just taken a wooden spike in the back for her. "Uh... Damon?" Caroline asked softly and he looked down at her squashed in between him and the wall. "The thing stopped." She pointed out and he nodded.

"Yeah, but the spear in my back is kind of making movement unlikely." He replied and her eyes widened at the realisation he'd taken it so she wouldn't have to.

"Okay, think." She said to herself. She snaked her arms around his waist and felt how the spear was angled. "Okay, it's at an angle so just... follow my lead." She said then grabbed his hips and pulled him tightly against her. Damon blinked rapidly to contemplate that little move then he noticed she was moving slowly in a circle while keeping him against her so he ended up slowly feeling the spear start to leave his skin. She rolled them round until they both had their sides pressed against the cave wall and the spear was out of his back. Caroline moved her leg up and kicked the spear, effectively breaking it so they didn't have to be stuck against the wall.

"Well done." Damon smirked at her and she smiled.

"Will my blood do anything for you?" She asked curiously and he looked surprised that she would offer considering the history there. "I took kind of a lot from you because of how it tasted." She blurted without thinking about what she was saying and he gave her an amused look.

"And how'd I taste?" He cocked an eyebrow at her amused and she chuckled a little in embarrassment. Caroline could see that he looked kind of weak because she _had_ taken a lot from him.

"Do you want some or not?" She asked with a smirk.

"You sure about that?" He asked curiously and she nodded. Damon felt he was kind of weak after that but really he wanted to drink from her because he'd never had the blood of a vampire he'd made before and he'd heard that _that_ would taste amazing so he kind of wanted to. She cocked her head to the side and moved her hair giving him access to her neck. After having his blood, she felt _amazing_ so she didn't mind him taking some back. He moved forward to her then and put one arm around her waist with his hand resting on her lower back.

Caroline was sure that if she hadn't stopped breathing when he started to move, her breath would have hitched at his closeness and the way his hand grazed her side as he slid it around her waist. Damon didn't want her to think of him as the same monster who'd done all of those things to her the year before so he attached his lips to her neck and softly sucked a little on the skin there to relax her a little before allowing his face to change and gently sinking his fangs into her neck. Caroline had barely felt the bite but as a vampire it didn't hurt at _all_... it just felt _amazing_. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she had to concentrate really hard so she wouldn't moan out loud at how incredible it felt. He drank slowly and she could feel his tongue lightly grazing her skin and she bit her lip as she felt her body fill with a heat that only he could bring out. She never felt it with anyone else. She was hit with an intense wave of lust and she couldn't help moving her hand to rest on the arm that held her.

Damon had been getting lost in the blood. Blood like he'd never tasted. It still tasted like her human blood but it was a million times better. The best blood he'd ever had which was strange considering it wasn't living blood. He snapped back to semi-reality when he felt her hand on his arm. He worried he'd taken too much so he pulled away and looked at her. Internally, he was stunned to see her vampire face out and she was biting her lip then stopped which released a drop of her blood onto her lip. He wasn't sure he had it in him to resist. He hadn't changed his face back either since hers was on display. "Hot, huh?" He asked softly and seductively.

"What?" She asked in a whisper considering she was nearly incoherent with the sensations she felt in her body.

"Your face changed." He said. His gaze flicked to her lips where the drop still sat. He was sure she would push him away but he couldn't stop himself. Caroline stared up at him and saw the lust all over his face. He looked at her lips and she knew what he would do but she was too much in _need_ to even think about the consequences of what would inevitably happen. His lips crashed to hers and his tongue lapped up the drop and he moaned at the amazing drop of blood. She allowed him to deepen the kiss then it seemed like her body took over while her mind went to mush because seconds later she had him against the wall and he was pulling her closer. Their kisses were heated and neither had changed their faces back so every once in a while their tongues would get cuts from their teeth and their blood mingled and they were both more turned on than they ever had been before. Neither had a single working brain cell so no thoughts took place. Caroline unbuttoned his shirt while he unbuttoned her jeans but they didn't stop kissing and feeding through their kiss. Damon's blood was Caroline's chocolate and Caroline's blood was Damon's ecstasy.

They couldn't help it; they gave over to their nature completely in that moment. It was a good thing they were in a cave as if anyone had stumbled upon them in that moment they would have been killed as they were true vampires just then. Their clothes disappeared, he wrapped her legs around him, he slammed into her, she pushed back against him. Everything then was pure instinct. Every sensation was heightened. There was blood. There were bites. There was pleasure. There was _no_ pain. The world could have ended in that moment and neither would have noticed. Their earth shattering orgasms came almost simultaneously and neither had noticed but they were now somehow on the ground next to each other. They panted and tried to gain control over their brains but they were just incoherent for minutes and minutes.

"Holy. Mother. Of God." Damon said shocked and Caroline couldn't even process his words as she was basically thinking the same thing.

"That was..." She trailed off just as shocked.

"Did you feel it?" Damon asked her turning his head to look at her.

"What?" She asked blinking as she continued to try to process what just happened.

"The vampire taking over completely." He said and she nodded.

"I've never felt more like a vampire." She said in agreement. "Must be the blood." She added. "Has that ever happened to you before? Becoming the vampire completely?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No." He replied surprising her.

"It felt amazing." She blurted and he nodded.

"Totally." He agreed immediately.

"This will sound really weird, but I feel absolutely _no_ need to kill anyone and no bloodlust right now." She said and he chuckled.

"I'm the same. No bloodlust for the first time in nearly 150 years is a weird feeling." He said without really meaning to and Caroline was internally shocked at him saying that.

"So... can we just not talk about this and get dressed and keep going?" She asked and he chuckled.

"If you want." He smirked at her then sat up. The two of them got dressed then walked down further into the cave. Caroline might have not wanted to talk about it but she couldn't stop thinking about what the _hell_ had just happened. Neither could Damon. They were both so wrapped up in their little world that they got the shock of their lives when they both simultaneously bumped off a barrier.

"What the hell?" Caroline asked confused.

"It's like... we need to be invited in or something." Damon said just as confused.

"Well... at least we found it. You just need to bring a human down here then or something." Caroline said and Damon thought about that.

"Mmhmm... either that or maybe Carol Lockwood could invite us in considering the deed to the land is in her name." Damon said thoughtfully and Caroline's eyes widened to saucers and she covered her mouth in shock. "What?" He asked her confused.

"I cheated on Tyler." She gasped and Damon looked surprised. He hadn't even thought about that.

"You probably shouldn't tell him that." Damon shrugged.

"Oh, God. I was so mad at Jeremy for _kissing_ Anna and what we did was so much... more than that. On his property too!" She said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Caroline, the vampire took over. It's not your fault. Right now isn't the best time to tell him that so don't." Damon said to her softly. "He's a hybrid now and we can't risk that he'd try to bite us because of his temper." He explained and she nodded. As much as she felt terrible about it she knew Damon had a point. Sure, she deserved to be yelled at and dumped but she didn't deserve to die of a werewolf bite just for cheating on him.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 2

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><p>Damon was avoiding Caroline. He had been for two weeks. He'd been unable to stop thinking about her after the cave 'incident' considering it was the single most incredible mind-blowing experience of his life. No other sex compared. No other feed compared. He'd been hesitant to look over his journal. Mason had clearly seen something between them and after the cave... Damon couldn't deny it. There was <em>no way<em> that was just some emotionless random fuck. But every time he saw her, he wanted her. Every time he smelled her, his face changed. So he was avoiding her until he could figure out what all of that _meant_. He'd noticed her face change in his presence too and she quickly hurried off. He gathered she was feeling the same way he was about the cave thing considering she seemed to be avoiding him too. He'd heard that she dumped Tyler because he was sired. He wasn't sure that was all it was. He didn't think that was the real reason.

He eventually got his journal out and he started reading from when he first met her. He only ever wrote when he was _mega_ drunk and honestly, if he hadn't been sure he was nuts before, reading over all of that confirmed it. He couldn't stop thinking about what Caroline said Jeremy did. When he read over his journal, one minute he was talking about Katherine and only days later he stopped talking about her completely and started talking about Elena. He'd clearly transferred his feelings over... which meant he didn't love Elena. That _shocked _him to his very core.

However.

The werewolf bastard proved to be right. He'd written about Caroline _a lot_. He'd written about her in _every_ entry since he met her. Even if it was only one sentence like 'I saw Caroline today'. She was _always_ in every entry. Elena wasn't in every entry. Not even close. He'd always been under the impression that Caroline annoyed him but one paragraph in his journal stuck with him. He reread it like a thousand times just to make sure he'd really written that.

_She annoys me because she's probably perfect. Caroline is everything I'm not. She's warm and happy and loving and she makes me want to feel. She makes it look easy. She's innocent and the only time I get remotely close to innocence is when I rip out an innocent's throat. She's so beautiful but her humanity is the most beautiful thing about her. I have done so many unforgiveable things but one thing even I could never do is condemn her to the life of a vampire. In another life, I would have fallen irrevocably in love with her._

But she _had _become a vampire, Damon thought to himself.

So... maybe he _could_ let himself fall in love with her. He obviously already felt for her. More deeply than he'd ever suspected.

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><p>A couple of days later, Damon was at a founder's event. He was sitting with Elena, Alaric and Bonnie and he wasn't paying any attention to them at all because across the lawn Caroline was arguing with Tyler and Damon was concentrating on not killing the wolf. She was wearing a sundress and her long blonde hair was in messy waves. She looked beautiful and from a distance, quite innocent but after the cave – he knew better. It turned him on knowing there was a deviant hidden beneath the sundress. She'd enjoyed revelling in her nature. She'd admitted it. Damon was trying not to all out <em>stare<em> at her but it was kind of difficult because all he could think about was kissing her, touching her, smelling her, tasting her, getting lost in her again. He wanted to feel her skin against his, he wanted her fangs in his neck, he wanted his in hers. Out of nowhere, he felt his head being yanked quickly to face Elena and her hands were covering either side of his eyes.

"Are you nuts?" She hissed at him in disbelief and he gave her a confused look.

"Huh?" He asked confused.

"Your face changed!" She whispered annoyed. "At a founder's event! Are you _trying_ to out yourself?" She whispered and his eyes widened in surprise then he focused and his face went back to normal. She let go of his face and he sat up again and looked around a little and nobody had noticed. Bonnie and Ric were staring at him like he was insane.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked him confused and he shrugged.

"Is someone bleeding?" Ric asked.

"No." Damon replied and they all stared at him confused.

"I've seen you around bleeding people... your face never changes." Bonnie whispered and it was obvious they were all beyond shocked. Damon had no _idea_ what to say to explain himself considering everyone knew he had amazing control over that usually.

"Uh..." He trailed off.

"You didn't even notice!" Elena said to him quietly in shock.

"Damon, what's going on? You've been weird, even for you, for a couple of weeks. You keep totally zoning out." Ric said and Damon sighed. He needed to say something. Something that would shock them away from what had just happened. He racked his brain. What would seriously surprise them into forgetting that his face changed out of the blue?

"Uh... I..." He started then he thought of something that although was kind of embarrassing, it was also true considering Elena said they should let him go... Had they _met _Damon? As if he could ever let Stefan go. "I miss Stefan." Damon replied and all of their jaws dropped. "Can we just move on and talk about something else?" He muttered then his gaze wandered again. Why was she _still_ arguing with Tyler? God, he hated that wretched wolf! He was too far away to hear without seriously concentrating but he wouldn't be able to do that with the constant yapping that Elena, Bonnie and Ric were doing. He felt a nudge at his side a couple of minutes later.

"Damon?" Elena asked concerned and he turned to look at her finally. She'd said his name like five times.

"What?" He asked her with a groan for breaking him out of his thoughts again. He couldn't understand what she could possibly want. Couldn't she see he was busy staring at Caroline? Honestly, sometimes the brunette was so dumb. All three of them were surprised at the way he was looking at Elena... he didn't look at her like he had feelings for her anymore. It was because he didn't.

"I'm worried about you." She said to him sincerely and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't be. I'm fine." He said then turned his head to look in the other direction again.

"What do you keep looking at?" Ric asked. Damon was wondering why he ever thought sitting at their table would be a good idea. Couldn't he be left alone to eye-stalk Blondie in peace?

"Nothing." He shrugged then took a sip from his drink. They were all still looking at him funny so he tried to _not_ stare at Blondie or he'd get caught. That's when he noticed she stormed away from Tyler and was coming over. He could do this. His face was _not_ going to change again. He took a breath then held it so he wouldn't smell anything. He saw Caroline falter a little when she saw he was also at the table and she seemed to take a breath too then she walked over to the table and sat down next to Ric which was the farthest place from Damon.

"Uh... hey, everyone." Caroline said when she sat down.

"What did Tyler want?" Elena asked her straight away. Damon was quite pleased she asked that since it would be weird if he did.

"Ugh. He's just arguing over the sired thing considering Klaus hasn't been back in a few weeks so he thinks I'm being unreasonable. Whatever." She waved a hand unconcerned.

"It's not his fault, Care." Elena said and Caroline nodded.

"I know that. But if Klaus came back here and ordered him to kill us all, he'd have to do it. So, it's just better this way." She said. Damon was still holding his breath and he was trying hard not to glance at her but it was kind of difficult.

"I guess." Bonnie agreed.

"Stick him in the tomb." Damon blurted without meaning too, surprising everyone that he'd said something considering it was very obvious he hadn't been listening to _anything_ they'd been talking about earlier.

"Wouldn't that just piss Klaus off?" Ric asked and Damon shrugged.

"It's not like he'd be missing a heart which would be my preferred solution." He smirked and they all rolled their eyes at him.

"Damon? You said that there was half of the cave you didn't look at, right?" Ric asked and both Caroline and Damon stiffened a little at the mention of the cave.

"Yes, why?" Damon asked after a few seconds.

"What if there's something else on the other side?" Ric asked.

"Mmm." Damon said like he was thinking about it but really he was trying not to let his face change. He heard Caroline had stopped breathing. "Maybe that's a good idea." He said.

"I'll come down with you." Elena said and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Caroline shoot Elena an annoyed glare which amused him.

"No, it'll have to be Blondie." Damon said and Caroline's eyes widened a tiny bit.

"Why?" Elena asked confused.

"Well, because she's a vampire." Damon lied.

"But didn't you both get impaled last time?" Bonnie asked and Damon tried not to laugh.

"Yeah, but that was... remedied." He said and the three of them looked at Damon strangely and he noticed Caroline was concentrating on something on the ground intently. "What do you think? Want to go back to the cave, Blondie?" Damon asked Caroline with a small smirk and she just kind of stared at him.

"Uh..." Caroline _knew_ what he meant. She was trying to not think about it and she didn't think doing it again would make that any easier... but holy hell it was amazing and she hadn't been able to think about anything else.

"Caroline! Your face!" Elena gasped in a whisper and Caroline covered her eyes with her hand then concentrated while Damon was trying hard not to smirk like a jackass. About fifteen seconds later she looked up and looked _really_ embarrassed.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Uh..." Caroline said again as she tried to think of something.

"Okay, seriously. What the hell is wrong with the two of you? You've both been weird and your faces are changing randomly." Bonnie said crossing her arms over her chest. Damon finally had an idea.

"Fine, but I didn't want to tell you this." Damon said and Caroline's eyes widened to saucers. "I got a bad batch of blood from the hospital so we're both feeling kind of weird because of it. I didn't realise it was the blood until yesterday." He lied and Caroline seemed to sigh in relief at his lie.

"Are you both okay?" Elena asked concerned and they nodded.

"And that's stopping your control?" Bonnie asked hesitantly.

"No, it just means the people who gave that particular blood had a blood condition that makes vampires feel weird." Damon said.

"What blood condition?" Elena asked.

"Like I'm going to tell non-vampires that." He smirked.

"What can you do about it?" Ric asked and Damon chuckled while Caroline's eyes widened because she had _no idea_ what Damon would say to that.

"Just feed on... uh... other blood." Damon said and Caroline _knew_ what he meant.

"Maybe you should both go do that then considering it's a founder's event." Bonnie said and Damon was dying to laugh at Caroline's mortified face considering Bonnie had no idea what she was telling them to do.

"Oh, by the way, you still haven't told me if you're going to Miami or not." Damon pointed out to Caroline and she looked surprised. The other three looked seriously confused at both of their weird behaviour.

"I... uh... forgot. I'll let you know." Caroline replied and he nodded with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asked them both confused.

"Remember I said we should go on a weekend vacation?" Caroline said to Bonnie who nodded. "Damon has an apartment in Miami and he said we could stay there." She said and the three of them looked at Damon surprised but he just took a sip out of his drink and didn't say anything.

"That sounds fun." Bonnie said.

"Would that be safe though?" Elena asked.

"I doubt Klaus is in Miami." Damon quipped.

"Maybe you should go with them." Ric said and Damon cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Why? It's supposed to be a chick vacation." Damon pointed out.

"Well... what would you be doing anyway? Sitting drinking in either the Grill or the boarding house. So, just, keep an eye from a distance." Ric said and Damon sighed.

"Hmm... I could go stay with Alice." Damon thought out loud as he nodded.

"Why wouldn't you just stay in your apartment?" Elena asked confused.

"It's only three bedrooms." He shrugged.

"Who's Alice?" Elena asked full of curiosity and Damon chuckled.

"Nobody." He smirked.

"Oh, c'mon." Elena nudged him and he rolled his eyes.

"She's my best friend." He said and all of their jaws dropped.

"You _have_ a best friend?" Bonnie asked shocked and he laughed.

"You think I trawled bars by myself for a century and a half?" He asked amused.

"What's she like?" Elena asked and he shrugged.

"Awesome." He replied surprising all of them.

"Vampire?" Bonnie asked and he nodded.

"But she doesn't kill humans and hasn't for a _very_ long time so you don't need to get all Judgy on her." He said and Bonnie shot him an annoyed look. "Anyway, I'm bored." He said downing his drink.

"You going to the cave?" Ric asked curiously and Damon smirked.

"Why the hell not?" Damon asked amused. "Coming?" Damon asked Caroline and she glared at him for using that word.

"Yeah, alright." She muttered and he chuckled. "I'm just going to go change first." She said and he cocked an eyebrow at that. He kind of wanted her to keep the sundress on.

"Why's that?" Damon smirked at her amused.

"I can't go down into a cave in a dress." She said to him dead pan.

"Why not?" He chuckled then whispered low enough that only she would hear. _It's easy access_. Her eyes widened a little and he bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh.

"There could be vampire traps, that's why." Bonnie said though they were all confused by Damon being weird... _er_.

"So jeans are going to stop her being impaled?" Damon asked curiously and Caroline's face changed again considering she didn't think he meant by the wooden spikes.

"Caroline." Elena pointed to her face and Damon was shaking with silent laughter while she hid her face in her hands.

"You know, Bonnie's right. We should go feed." Damon said to her and her face finally came out of her hands back to normal and she looked kind of mortified.

"All of this is because of weird blood?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Yes." Damon and Caroline said simultaneously.

"Just go. You're both being really weird." Bonnie said sceptically.

"There's blood at the boarding house." Damon commented.

"Fine, I'll meet you there." Caroline said then literally _ran away_ and Damon was back to shaking with silent laughter which the other three noticed.

"Later." Damon said amused then got up and sauntered over to his car. The other three looked at each other confused.

"There's something going on that they aren't telling us. I've never heard of weird blood affecting a vampire." Bonnie said.

"But vampires wouldn't want people to know that bad blood can affect them so it _is _possible." Ric pointed out.

"Let's just keep an eye on them." Bonnie said.

"Maybe we should follow them." Elena suggested.

"Let's just give it a few days. If they're still weird in a few days, we'll follow them." Bonnie agreed.

* * *

><p>Damon walked into the boarding house to find Caroline already there – still in the sundress. She was sitting with a drink so he gathered she'd gone there at vampire speed considering he'd driven but she was there first. He locked the door behind him as he remembered a thought passing through his head in the cave that he would kill anyone that found them so just in case anyone tried to wander in it would be safer. Damon had no idea what to say to her and she had no idea what to say to him.<p>

So... he just went over to her and stood in front of her... then he pushed open her legs with his knee then kneeled on the couch with one knee between her legs and one on the outside. Caroline watched him intently though the more she could smell him, the more lust she felt and he saw it. He leaned over her and put his hands on the back of the couch on either side of her, effectively boxing her in. He was rock hard already and he could smell her arousal so without a word, he tilted his head to the side giving her access to his neck.

She moved closer to him and held onto his sides then sunk her fangs in his neck and he couldn't help the moan that escaped his lips. She was all he'd been thinking about for weeks so to finally be able to feel this was incredible. He had to concentrate or he would come just from her bite. Caroline felt like she'd been waiting for his blood forever and not just a few weeks. The taste exploded in her mouth and her body thrummed with pleasure. She knew if she didn't stop, she'd drain him dry so she pulled away though it took every ounce of her self-control to do so. She looked up at him and his face had changed so she turned her head.

"Not there." He whispered and she looked at him confused.

"Then where?" She asked. He moved his finger to her collar bone then trailed it gently down her chest, over her breast, over her stomach, over her hip then he tapped her inner thigh lightly and her breath hitched. The femoral artery. She remembered as a human how amazing it was to be bitten there... so as a vampire... she couldn't imagine the pleasure so she nodded. He climbed off her then kneeled on the floor and pushed her legs open with his hands then stuck his head under her dress and she was just so turned on. Damon nearly came with the smell of her arousal. He could tell she was just as turned on as he was. He wanted to feel it though so he moved his finger up and ran it along her underwear and she gasped as she hadn't been expecting that. Damon groaned at how soaked they were.

A different part of his inner monster was calling to him then and he wanted to taste her... so in one swift move, he ripped off her underwear then trailed his tongue across her slit and she moaned. Damon's own moan was muffled against her skin as he was sure he was going to come just from her taste alone as he lapped his tongue against her. Caroline thought the sensation was incredible. He didn't want her to finish yet though so he stuck his finger inside her eliciting a gasp then replaced his tongue with his thumb and rubbed her lazily so that she was still being stimulated but not so much that she would orgasm yet. He kissed and sucked down her thigh and he could smell her blood under her skin and it was driving him crazy.

He craved it. He had to have it. So he bit down and Caroline's eyes rolled into the back of her head with how much pleasure her body felt in that moment. The blood hit Damon's tongue and it was like fireworks were going off so he groaned at the amazing taste. Caroline's hand moved to his head which was still under her dress then he shocked her by moving his free hand up to hold her hand but she interlaced their fingers anyway. Damon knew he was getting lost in the blood again so holding her hand reminded him that he couldn't drain her dry.

He pulled away from the bite then watched it heal and his body hummed with need. He couldn't wait any longer so he took his hand away from where he was pleasuring her and she made a small noise at the loss of contact but he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them and his boxers down then took his head out from under her dress and in a move too quick for her to register she was lying on her back on the floor and he was above her. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer and he pushed into her. Their faces hadn't changed back yet so he leaned down and kissed her as he thrust – their teeth cut each other and their blood mingled – that's when things turned vampiric again like in the cave. They let the vampire take over and they fed and writhed and fucked and got completely lost in each other's monster. It was almost like they blacked out when that happened as there were no thoughts about anything. There was just the most intense pleasure, skin on skin, blood mixed with blood. They both came nearly at the same time and it was explosive. Damon managed to roll off her – but he was still holding her hand – then the two of them lay there panting as they attempted to come back down to earth. That time had been far more intense than the time in the cave and they both knew it and felt it.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 3

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><p>"What's my blood like for you?" Damon asked after about five minutes of lying there in silence.<p>

"Like the best chocolate in the world." She said without really meaning to. "Mine?" She asked.

"Ecstasy." Damon replied immediately surprising her. "It's the best blood I've ever had." He said and internally she was shocked.

"Me too." She agreed and Damon was very pleased at that. "But this thing... it's the blood, right? Just because your blood turned me?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No." He replied and she turned her head to look at him confused.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I've had Katherine's blood since I turned and sure it was good but human blood is better. Yours is better than human blood." He explained and she was stunned. Damon still didn't have much brain capacity so he had no control of what he was saying.

"So is yours." She said because it was true. "Then why?" She asked and he shrugged but he was still staring at the ceiling.

"On my side, I think it's because I have feelings for you." He said and her jaw dropped at him saying that. "I don't know. This isn't normal for a vampire and sire. I'll look into it." He said then let her hand go. He pulled up his jeans and buttoned them then sat up and realised what he'd just said to her. He was kind of embarrassed in all honesty but before he had a chance to say anything else, his phone rang. He was kind of relieved at that considering it was a distraction.

"What's up, Ric?" Damon answered.

"_I was just wondering if you found anything in the cave._" Ric said and Damon felt confused.

"No, I only just left the founder's event." He said and there was silence for a few seconds.

"_Damon? Are you alright? It's 7.30pm._" Ric said and Damon's jaw dropped. He'd left the founder's event at like 3pm.

"What?" He asked in disbelief then turned his head to the window and saw it was getting dark. Caroline looked just as shocked. "Oh... uh... I sat down for a minute and must have dozed off." He lied.

"_Damon, what's going on?_" Ric asked him sternly. "_Don't lie. You obviously didn't fall asleep._" Ric said and Damon cursed himself. He really needed to concentrate better when he lied to Ric. The teacher was starting to know him too well.

"Fine... I think I blacked out." Damon said because he was truly starting to think that.

"_Because of the bad blood?_" Ric asked concerned.

"I have no idea." Damon muttered because all of it was confusing as hell then he got an idea. "Ric, do you still have Isobel's research on vampires?" He asked.

"_Yeah, want me to bring it over?_" Ric asked.

"Only if you don't tell anyone else that you're bringing it over. I don't want everyone knowing that something's going on." Damon said.

"_Fine, but am I in danger of getting killed again?_" Ric asked him dryly and Damon rolled his eyes.

"No... humans aren't the... uh... focus... at the moment." Damon said and he could practically hear Ric's confusion... then he could practically hear the ball drop.

"_Oh my God. It's just around Caroline, isn't it?_" Ric asked and Damon sighed in annoyance.

"I will explain when you get here." Damon said through gritted teeth.

"_Is she there with you?_" Ric asked and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Alaric." Damon replied.

"_Oh, okay. See you in a bit._" Ric said then hung up.

"You're telling him about this?" Caroline asked him sceptically and Damon shrugged.

"It felt like minutes, Caroline. It was _hours_. What if this is dangerous? What if while this is going on we accidentally kill each other?" He asked her and she looked surprised. "He won't tell anyone." Damon said and she nodded.

"Do you feel the bloodlust is gone again?" She asked and he nodded.

"It's so weird. It feels like being human again." He said.

"Yeah, it does... but... don't you also feel like... _really_ strong?" She asked and he nodded again.

"I noticed I was stronger and faster than usual after last time in the cave." He said.

"Yeah, me too." She agreed. "Do you remember anything?" She asked him sceptically.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"From when we were... uh... complete vampires." She said and Damon understood what she meant.

"No, not really... you bit my tongue and I bit your lip and then... I was on my back on the floor and we were done." He said and she nodded.

"Aren't you curious though?" She asked surprising him.

"Curious as to what the hell we did for _hours_? Yeah." He said like it was obvious.

"Maybe we should video it." She said and his jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding?" He asked in disbelief and she giggled a little.

"No, I really want to know. The fact there are a few hours missing from my day has me particularly curious." She said and he was still staring at her shocked. That was so hot.

"So, you would allow yourself to be _videoed _having sex." He said to her and she shrugged.

"It's not like we'd be making a home movie, Damon. We just need to know if anything weird or dangerous happens when we black out." She said. "I just can't... this can't happen anymore." She said and he looked at her confused.

"What can't happen?" He asked.

"I can't be at a founder's event and have my face change just at the smell of your blood. This is driving me nuts and we need to figure out what the hell it is so we can fix it already." She said internally... Damon was kind of gutted at her wanting to 'fix' it.

"I kind of got the impression that you enjoyed yourself." Damon pointed out and she gave him a look of disbelief.

"Enjoyed myself? Are you joking?" She asked him shocked. "_That_ is like... full body bliss." She said to him and he gave her a confused look.

"Well... why would you want to fix it then?" He asked sceptically and she looked surprised.

"You _don't _want to fix it?" She asked stunned and he shrugged.

"I don't see full body bliss, as you put it, as a bad thing." He replied.

"Well, I don't want to be your fuck buddy." She said bluntly.

"You wouldn't be." He replied and she was kind of confused by his reply. "Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel _anything_ for me?" He asked just as bluntly and she looked at him annoyed.

"No, I guess I can't. But I still kind of hate you." She said and he smirked.

"No, you don't." He replied and she looked surprised then annoyed.

"Oh, really? How'd you figure?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest and he looked at her amused.

"You rammed a poker in Mason's chest for me." He smirked and she looked instantly embarrassed at the memory of her saying 'you don't touch him' to Mason. "You came down to the cave with me and nobody knew where you were. You were alone with me in a cave nobody knew about so obviously you trust me even if you don't want to admit it. _Then _after I got the spike in the back you _offered_ your blood after everything so you obviously don't hate me." He smirked and she scowled at him.

"Yeah? Well... ugh. Shut up, Damon." She said and he laughed. "Anyway... I have to go." She said and he looked at her confused.

"But Ric's not here yet." He said and she gave him an annoyed look.

"If you didn't notice, you ripped my underwear off and half my dress – which was brand new, by the way – is in tatters. I need to get changed." She said and he chuckled.

"I like that dress. I'll buy you a new one." He smirked and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"And why would you do that?" She asked sceptically and he chuckled then walked over to where she stood and grabbed her waist and pulled her into him then kissed her neck.

"If _you_ didn't notice, I quite enjoyed being _under_ the dress." He said against her skin and she shuddered a little at the memory of him sticking his head under it.

"Well... uh... stop that." She said annoyed as he kissed up her neck and his soft chuckle tickled her skin but he didn't stop kissing her neck. "I thought you agreed that you felt human-ish after." She said confused at him holding onto her and kissing her neck.

"Just because I have no urge to drink your blood right now doesn't mean I don't still want you." He said and internally she was kind of surprised at him saying he wanted her.

"Damon, I'm not going to be your fuck buddy so stop it." She said seriously and he pulled up to look at her with a smirk.

"Go out with me, then." He said and her jaw dropped.

"What?" She asked in disbelief. She was _shocked _that he just asked her out! "No." She said like he was stupid and he chuckled.

"Why not?" He asked amused.

"Because you bit me and compelled me." She said annoyed and he nodded.

"And while I regret hurting you, if that hadn't happened, we'd both be dead right now." He said and her jaw dropped.

"What? What do you mean?" She asked confused as she tried to process the fact he said he regretted hurting her and he shrugged and let go of her.

"I know I didn't show it but I went to the hospital because of _you_ and I overheard the doctors saying you were going to die from the car crash and that's why I gave you blood, so if I hadn't then you would have died and not turned. If I hadn't picked you when I came to town, you would have just died because I wouldn't have cared at all. Then, if you hadn't turned, your mother would have killed Stefan and me that day you saved us. If Stefan and I had died that day, then Elena would have been taken away by Elijah, Klaus would have done the sacrifice and Elena would be permanently dead. If you hadn't turned, Klaus would have killed Bonnie. So considering you, Stefan, Bonnie, Elena and me are _alive_..." He trailed off with a shrug and Caroline was gaping at him.

"Bonnie said she told you to give me blood." Caroline said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"I went over to Elena and Bonnie and told them I could. Elena said no, Bonnie said yes, but I'd already done it when I said that." He said and she looked at him confused.

"Then why the hell did you try to stake me?" She asked him annoyed and he smirked at her.

"Did I?" He asked her amused and she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Yes." She said and he chuckled.

"Did I really? Or did I hear Stefan coming?" He asked her with a smirk and she looked at him even more confused.

"Then what was with the show?" She asked him annoyed.

"I compelled you to forget everything I did. You weren't _supposed _to remember that. Nobody should have to remember that. I knew I was your sire but you would never have listened to me after remembering all of that... So I got Stefan to take over. And it worked." He said motioning towards her. "My broody little brother managed to get you to be a good vampire. At the time, I was in no frame of mind to teach anyone how to be a good vampire considering my emotions were still partially shut off. You would have ended up a killer if I'd done it then." He said seriously and she faltered. She saw the twisted logic and it _did _make sense.

"So... what you're basically saying is that I should be totally happy about you being a total dick when we first met because we're all not dead, right?" She asked him dryly and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"How did you get _that_ out of what I said?" He asked and she couldn't help it so she laughed in disbelief.

"Oh, God." She giggled. "For all your cocky charm, you have _no clue_ how to talk about the important stuff, do you?" She asked amused and he rolled his eyes.

"No, I suppose I don't." He muttered. "Can't you see I'm trying?" He asked sincerely and she nodded.

"In your own weird way, I guess you are... Try harder." She said seriously then walked past him into the hallway, unlocked the door and left closing the door behind her while Damon frowned. What the hell did he say that was wrong? _Try harder_. So... that _wasn't_ a 'no' then? He was so confused.

* * *

><p>Alaric showed up half an hour later. Damon hadn't locked the door behind Caroline so Ric just sauntered in with the large box. Damon took the heavy box for him and the two of them wandered into the library and took a seat.<p>

"Are you going to explain?" Ric asked Damon who sighed.

"If you can keep your mouth shut. Bonnie and Elena are _not _to find out about this." Damon said and Ric nodded.

"Like I'm going to sit and gossip with those two." Ric said to him annoyed. "I never tell anyone anything you tell me."

"Fine." Damon said. "You know Caroline was impaled by the vampire device in the cave?" Damon asked him and he nodded. "She was badly hurt considering three vervain covered wooden spears went right through her body and she was really weak after that so I let her bite me to heal." Damon said and Ric looked a little surprised.

"But... why would that help?" Ric asked.

"Sire blood is the best blood a vampire can have to heal themselves." Damon explained and Ric nodded for him to continue. "She practically drained me dry." Damon said and Ric looked surprised. "She got lost in the blood because apparently my blood is the best blood she's ever had." Damon said and Ric's jaw dropped.

"Better than human?" Ric asked and Damon nodded.

"So I was practically drained and we kept going then another trap sprung out and I pushed her against the wall but a spear went through my back so adding that to the fact I was practically drained dry, I was totally weak. She basically offered some blood back because she admitted she took a lot from me so I bit her and _her _blood is the best _I've_ ever had." Damon said and Ric looked shocked. "Then something happened that neither of us can explain. The inner vampire took over completely and we kind of blacked out and had sex." Damon said and Ric stared in disbelief. "But the _weirdest _thing... when we were done, neither of us had _any _bloodlust at _all_. That has never happened to me before so feeling no bloodlust for the first time in nearly 150 years was hella weird. It felt like being human. Then after that... I was faster and stronger for over a week. I've been avoiding her because whenever I smell her, my inner vampire wants her. I can't think about anything else. My face changes beyond my control just at the thought of her. The same thing is happening with her. So... today it kind of happened again but this time we can't account for like three hours of the day." Damon said. "I have _no _bloodlust right now... but I feel _so _strong." He added. "Another thing though..." Damon said. "After the cave... I didn't need blood for a week. I wasn't even hungry." He said and Ric looked _shocked_.

"Oh my God." Ric said in disbelief. "This explains why you're both acting so weird." He said. "That's what you kept looking at earlier. Caroline." He said in realisation and Damon nodded.

"I can barely think about anything else. This might be over share but no other feeding remotely compares. No other sex remotely compares. And I've fed from and had sex with thousands and thousands of people. It's like a full body experience." Damon explained.

"Is it just the blood? Because you're who turned her?" Ric asked and Damon shook his head.

"I had Katherine's blood recently and it wasn't remotely better than human blood. Caroline's is so far beyond better than human blood." Damon said.

"Why did you have Katherine's blood?" Ric asked curiously.

"When she first showed up she kissed me and things got heated so I bit her lip accidentally. It wasn't a lot but it wasn't anything noteworthy." Damon shrugged.

"Well, have you ever had blood from other vampires while having sex before?" Ric asked.

"Yeah, but again, nothing noteworthy." Damon said.

"So clearly it must be something then." Ric said in contemplation. "But if you feel no bloodlust after and you don't need to feed and it's good... why are you looking for an explanation?" Ric asked.

"In case it's dangerous. We become _complete_ vampires when it happens. If someone walked in on us, there would be no recognition. We would kill them." Damon said and Ric looked surprised. "But I'm like 145 years older than her... I'm worried that in the black out I'll kill her." He admitted.

"Well, I don't see why you would considering it sounds like your inner vampire craves her. I don't see why you would kill her in that state because if you killed her you couldn't have her blood or sex with her anymore." Ric said and Damon looked surprised.

"That's very logical of you." Damon smirked and Ric chuckled.

"Basic animal instinct, isn't it? You can't have something if you kill it." Ric pointed out.

"Mmm." Damon agreed. That made sense. "There's something... else." He said and Ric cocked an eyebrow at him. "She doesn't know this though."

"What?" Ric asked.

"I feel kind of... okay... _very_ possessive." Damon admitted.

"In what way?" Ric asked.

"Well... I've never experienced that side of vampirism before... but... with her... I want to kill any guy that talks to her." He admitted and Ric looked surprised. "Like, I literally have to force myself _not _to kill them. It's not just a passing thought. It's almost like my body has a mind of it's own because earlier when she was talking to Tyler, the reason I was so quiet was because I was using all of my concentration and self-control to keep myself from darting over there and ripping his fucking head off in the middle of the event." Damon said and Ric blinked in surprise.

"Do you know why that is?" Ric asked curiously.

"Because... I want her to be... because... she's _mine_." Damon said and Ric looked confused.

"What about Elena?" Ric asked and Damon looked confused.

"What about her?" Damon asked.

"Don't you have feelings for her?" Ric asked and Damon shot him a look.

"No, not remotely at all." Damon said and Ric looked kind of shocked.

"All because of Caroline?" Ric asked.

"No, that's a long story. I basically discovered it was a Katherine thing. But neither of them matter at all anymore. It's driving me kind of nuts because all I want _all the time_ is Caroline." Damon said and Ric nodded as he thought about that. "But I've wanted Caroline since I showed up in Mystic Falls... even with my emotions off I was drawn to her. It's kind of weird... when she was dating that Matt creep I wanted to kill him for that. When I saw her with Tyler, I wanted to kill him. It seems this has been going on for much longer than I even was consciously aware of." He admitted and Ric looked surprised. "But Ric... I'm more vampiric now than I ever have been and that's not a conscious decision on my part. I guarantee you if I saw someone like, threatening her in _any way,_ it wouldn't matter where I was or who was watching, I'd snap and kill them." Damon said.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this before?" Ric asked.

"Not the blacking out or blood fascination but the way I'm feeling about her, yeah." Damon nodded.

"What about it?" Ric asked.

"That's how a vampire responds to their mate." Damon said and Ric looked surprised.

"I read about vampire mates." Ric said as he thought about it. "But..." Ric said then his eyes widened. "Vampire mates can't live without each other." Ric said and Damon nodded.

"I know." Damon agreed.

"As in, if she really is your mate, if you went a long time without seeing her... you'd start to weaken and eventually die." Ric said shocked.

"I know." Damon said.

"True vampire mates are rare though." Ric said.

"I know. That's why I want to look into it. If that really is the case... we're screwed." Damon muttered.

"Why?" Ric asked.

"Because if it's true, we have to be around each other like _all the time_ or we'll end up becoming _really _vampiric." Damon said. "She doesn't want to be with me." He added. "But if that's the case, she'll die without me." He muttered.

"So will you." Ric said shocked and Damon nodded. "So, you said you've been feeling more vampiric now than ever... In what way?" He asked.

"If we really have become mates because of the cave incident, it's probably her absence that's making me like that. I've just been thinking like a vampire, behaving more like a vampire, I've been enjoying hunting more. It's just... weird." Damon muttered.

"Hunting?" Ric asked sceptically and Damon smirked.

"Yes." Damon nodded.

"Are you killing people?" Ric asked.

"No, but I want to. I mean a vampire never truly _wants _to stop but I find I care less than usual about not killing." Damon said. "But I haven't because Judgy would fry me." Damon smirked.

"Do you feel less in control?" Ric asked.

"No, that's not an issue. If anything, I feel _more _in control of my bloodlust which is weird considering I'm behaving _more _vampiric." He replied. "Though, to be fair, the more of the vampire you let in the less your control slips." He added.

"That makes sense like with Stefan." Ric said and Damon nodded. "Why are you being so open about this with me?" He asked.

"Because I need you to talk to Caroline and find out if she's feeling the same things. It's not like she's going to tell _me_ all of this, considering she still kind of hates me a bit." He said and Ric shot him an annoyed look.

"So you basically want me to talk to her then report back what she says." Ric said annoyed and Damon chuckled.

"No, I know you wouldn't do that. But if she _doesn't _feel those things, we're obviously not mates and the problem is just with _me_." Damon said. "But, I think she _might _be getting the possessive thing too because when Elena offered to go to the cave with me Caroline totally glared at her involuntarily then quickly covered it up. But she won't remotely admit that." He added. Ric looked at him confused.

"Then why do I need to talk to Caroline if she won't admit it and you don't want me to tell you what she says?" Ric asked.

"Because she won't listen to me. I have almost 150 years experience of being a vampire and control... she doesn't. If this is the mates thing and we don't figure it out... she could become _very _dangerous." Damon said. "So I need you to tell her that so she comes and talks to me and tells me the truth." He added.

"Want me to go talk to her now then?" Ric asked.

"No, we need to read over this first. Anything to do with blood bonds, vampire and sire couples, mates, blacking out. Anything similar to what I told you." Damon said.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>The following evening was another founder's event. Damon figured it would be a good time to test out his 'possessive' theory with her considering she would still be blood lust free so it wouldn't be quite as bad. Also, Damon figured, if she decided to retaliate, he would be less likely to slaughter a bunch of people out of possessiveness. He and Ric had read everything Isobel had on mates and blood bonds and if Caroline was feeling like Damon – they were most likely mates as one thing in the research stated that the blood of a vampire's mate was their favourite, so it made a lot of sense.<p>

Damon tried to look his absolute _best_. He went and got a sexy haircut. He even went out and got himself a brand new navy fitted suit, new shoes, new shirt and tie. When he showed up at the evening party, he looked _amazing_, even if he did say so himself. Though, the looks he was getting from practically _every_ woman at the event proved that too.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Caroline but he didn't acknowledge that he'd seen her at all – though it was weird – he felt better knowing she was there. He noticed her jaw dropped a little at the sight of him which internally made him very pleased, he had actually _tried his damndest _to look that good. The party was in full swing and one of the ladies in the council went over to him and spoke to him and he noticed she was kind of ogling him so – of course – he asked her to dance. She was seriously surprised but of course she accepted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Caroline looking none-too-pleased when he started dancing with her. He couldn't show it of course, but internally, he was smirking like a jackass.

After his dance, he was in a fabulous mood considering Caroline had obviously been a little jealous. He went and got himself a drink then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and was faced with Bonnie. She was visibly surprised when he smiled at her.

"Don't you look beautiful?" Damon asked her and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Thanks. Are you alright?" She asked.

"I am. Dance with me?" He asked and she looked even more surprised.

"You sure you're alright?" She asked sceptically and he smirked.

"It's just a dance, Bonnie. It's not like I'm trying to get you to run away with me into the sunset." He said amused and she actually chuckled.

"Fine." She said amused. He held out his hand and she took it then he spun her into him and danced with her. If Caroline had looked a _little _jealous before – now she looked _very _jealous. Damon was purposely not paying attention to her though it was difficult because every instinct he had wanted him to go over to her. "Why are you in such a good mood?" Bonnie asked curiously and he shrugged.

"Just woke up on the right side of the bed this morning." He smirked and she was so surprised by his answer she actually laughed a little.

"Doesn't happen often, does it?" Bonnie asked amused and he chuckled.

"Not really, no." He winked and she chuckled.

"So is that issue from yesterday resolved?" She asked.

"Almost." Damon nodded. "Nothing to worry about." He said. Bonnie eyed him sceptically. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him in such a good mood.

"Were you serious about the Miami thing?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He nodded. "Just tell me when and I'll get flights taken care of." He said and she looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I have a deal with Blondie. I'm paying for it." Damon smirked and she chuckled.

"Why's that?" She asked amused and he shrugged.

"It's an attempt for her not to be _as _mad at me anymore." He said with a devious grin and she laughed.

"So, a trip to Miami is your version of an apology?" She asked amused and he shrugged.

"A simple 'I'm sorry' isn't going to do anything. It's not like I spilled coffee on her couch." He said and Bonnie looked at him curiously.

"_Are_ you sorry?" She asked.

"Not for everything I've ever done but for some things." He nodded.

"Are you sorry you bit me?" She asked curiously and he chuckled.

"Sort of." He replied and she cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Why only sort of?" She asked.

"Because you did the same thing to me." He replied and she looked confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You took something out on me that wasn't directly my fault. Which was exactly what _I _did as well. So, yes, I know I shouldn't have bitten you, but it also wasn't directly my fault that Caroline turned." He pointed out and Bonnie looked surprised. She had to admit, she'd never seen it that way before.

"You may have a point." She conceded and he smirked.

"Besides, you do the head thing to me _all the time_." He said and she laughed.

"That's because you're a total ass _all the time_." She copied the way he said the last part and he laughed a little.

"So... if I attempt to be less of an ass will you attempt to be less headache-happy?" He smirked and she chuckled.

"Alright." She agreed. "I like you in this mood. You should always be in this mood." She said and he chuckled.

"Then you'll like me in Miami. I'm always in the best mood when I'm around Alice." He said and she smiled.

"How old is Alice?" Bonnie asked.

"Centuries and centuries. When we met she said it's safer for me not to know how old she is so I never bothered asking again." He said. "But I know she's older than Katherine." He added and Bonnie looked surprised.

"How long have you known her?" Bonnie asked.

"Since 1865." Damon replied and she looked surprised again. "I think you'll really like her."

"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"She's just always really well liked by witches." He shrugged. "She's not like other vampires. She holds human life in high regard." He said and Bonnie smiled a little.

"So how are you two friends then?" She teased and he chuckled.

"We just get along like a house on fire. Though she does nag at me about everything you nag at me for too." He smirked and she laughed.

* * *

><p>Damon danced with Bonnie for two songs and she was surprised at how well they were getting along. After that he had another drink then he danced with a few more people and he absently noticed that Caroline didn't look at all happy. About an hour later, he felt another tap on his shoulder and he turned around and was faced with Elena who was smiling.<p>

"Hey." She said.

"Elena." He nodded to her then took a drink. "Having fun?" He asked.

"Yeah. How come you haven't asked me to dance?" She asked curiously and he smirked. He saw Caroline across the room in the corner of his eye and she looked _furious _so he was more than interested in her reaction to this.

"I haven't seen you." He shrugged. "Would you like to dance, Elena?" He teased and she giggled.

"Sure." She smiled. Damon noticed Caroline cross her arms over her chest and she full on glared at them so he twirled Elena just to piss Caroline off then they started dancing. Bonnie was with Caroline and after about 30 seconds of dancing with Elena, Damon noticed Bonnie grab Caroline and hug her so that her face was covered by Bonnie's shoulder. Damon realised then that Caroline's face must have changed. About ten seconds after that Caroline pulled away, turned on her heel and quickly left the room. Damon was kind of amused by that. Bonnie ran after her then about a minute later Bonnie hurried over to Damon and Elena.

"Damon." Bonnie said and he looked at her. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked a little worriedly.

"What's up?" He asked.

"A certain blonde has a certain _nature _problem." Bonnie said and Damon cocked his eyebrow at that.

"Did she ask you to come get me?" Damon asked and Bonnie looked at him confused.

"Yeah, why?" She asked.

"Well if she didn't I doubt she'd want me to know about it." He said and Bonnie looked surprised.

"Well, she did." Bonnie said.

"Alright." Damon said then let Elena go and followed Bonnie into the hall with Elena right behind him because she was totally nosy. "You two just go back to the party, I'll deal with Blondie." Damon said.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked sceptically.

"Mmhmm." He nodded. Bonnie linked her arm with Elena's then pulled her back into the party knowing she would insist on staying otherwise. Damon smirked amused at this then knocked on the bathroom door. "Caroline." He said so she would know it was him. The door opened a little and she grabbed his arm then yanked him inside then closed and locked the door. She was still vamped out and Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is there a problem?" He asked her.

"You're doing that on purpose!" She hissed at him.

"Doing what?" He asked innocently.

"Dancing with _everyone _else!" She said annoyed and he crossed his arms over his chest. Internally he was _so pleased_.

"Well, I seem to remember you turning me down when I asked you out so I don't need your permission to dance with anyone." He pointed out calmly. "Why's your face out?" He asked and she glared at him.

"You know why it's out." She replied annoyed.

"No, I don't." He commented though he totally did.

"Yes, you do, because you get furious every time Tyler or Matt talks to me in your eye line." She said and he looked surprised. He had no idea that he'd been that obvious.

"How do you figure?" He asked.

"Clearly it's this blood thing." She muttered. "Can you just not lie about it, please? This is hard enough without adding lies." She said.

"Fine, yes, I am totally possessive for the first time ever and I was trying to find out if you're feeling the same thing." He admitted and she looked surprised that he was admitting it.

"So you planned this." She said to him and he nodded.

"It's not like you would have told me if I just asked." He said and she rolled her eyes knowing he had a point.

"Well, did you and Ric find anything out?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He nodded.

"Are you going to tell me?" She asked annoyed and he smirked.

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"Maybe?" She asked in disbelief.

"It depends how you've been feeling about certain things. If you have been experiencing certain things the way I have then there's an explanation." He said and she deadpanned.

"You're totally dancing around it." She said and he chuckled.

"Are you going to be honest with me?" He asked and she sighed.

"Fine." She muttered.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this in the bathroom at a founder's event." He said.

"Fine." She replied. Damon saw she was still annoyed so he figured he might as well. He pushed her up against the wall which visibly surprised her.

"You have no reason to be annoyed." He said as he leaned down and kissed her neck. "I might have been dancing with other people but I only want you." He said and Caroline blinked rapidly at him saying that. He pulled back, kissed her cheek then took a step back away from her and he noticed her face was back to normal. "I won't dance with anyone else. Meet me at the boarding house when the party finishes." He said then left the bathroom. Caroline was trying to comprehend everything he said so she was still up against the wall. She shook herself out of it, took a deep breath then went back to the party.

* * *

><p>Damon got himself a drink then went over to Ric who was standing at the side of the bar and leaned down to whisper in his ear.<p>

"She's feeling the possessiveness too." He said and Ric shot him an annoyed look.

"So that's why you were dancing with practically every girl at the party." Ric said and Damon chuckled.

"Obviously. I told you. I only want her." He said and Ric looked at him curiously.

"So what happened?" Ric asked.

"She vamped out and yelled at me for doing it on purpose." He smirked and Ric chuckled amused at how happy Damon looked about that. Before Ric could respond...

"Damon?" He turned around to see Bonnie and Elena standing there.

"Yes, Bonnie?" He asked curiously.

"Is she okay?" Bonnie asked concerned. Something Damon had noticed about Bonnie and Elena was that Bonnie was nosy because she cared and was concerned, but Elena was nosy because she always had to be in the loop. Damon found he was liking Bonnie more and more and Elena less and less.

"Totally fine." Damon nodded. "She smelled some blood and just needed talked out of it." He replied and they both looked surprised.

"Is that because of the bad hospital stuff?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Damon lied. "She's fine now." He replied.

"What did you do?" Bonnie asked and Damon smirked.

"Let her yell at me. It takes out her frustrations." He said amused and the girls and Ric laughed.

"If she's fine, why did she leave?" Bonnie asked and Damon looked surprised.

"I didn't know that she left." Damon replied thought it kind of made sense because he didn't feel as good as he had before.

"Might be because Tyler just showed up." Elena added and Damon had to concentrate so he didn't lose it at the thought of Tyler. Ric saw Damon's face harden at that.

"Must be. You know she doesn't want anything to do with him." Ric said hoping it would help Damon stay calm. Damon felt his phone vibrate and he took it out and saw a text from Caroline.

_Got impatient. I want to know now. I'm at the boarding house._

Damon smirked at getting her alone already.

"Anyway, I'm bored of the party. Later." Damon said then downed his drink.

"Wait – you're leaving?" Elena asked confused.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"But we didn't finish our dance." Elena said and Damon had to fight an eye roll.

"Another time." Damon said then wandered away from them and left the party. Bonnie and Elena glanced at each other curiously.

"Still think we shouldn't follow them?" Elena asked Bonnie.

"What do you mean?" Ric asked.

"Well, first Caroline needs to speak to Damon in private then Caroline leaves the party, Damon gets a text minutes after she leaves then Damon leaves the party. It's obvious that they're still hiding something. They're both being totally weird." Elena said.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Ric said and Bonnie and Elena both stared at him for that comment.

"You know something." Bonnie said and Ric schooled his features so that it wouldn't show.

"No, I was at the boarding house last night and Damon's totally fine." Ric shrugged. Bonnie cocked an eyebrow at him for that.

"Are you aware that I can sense lies?" Bonnie asked him amused and Ric sighed in annoyance.

"Do _not _follow them. I'm serious." Ric said to them and they were surprised at how he said that. Like he was urging them for their safety not to follow them.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"I swore I wouldn't repeat it so I can't." Ric said to her and they looked surprised. "But something the two of you need to get into your heads: They're vampires. They are _dangerous_ creatures. Right now isn't the best time to be nosy about what's going on with them. Leave it alone. Once it's under control, I'm sure they'll tell you what's wrong with them, until then, let it go. It's not safe." Ric said to them so seriously they were both a little surprised.

"I will agree to that as long as they aren't hurting anyone." Bonnie said.

"They aren't." Ric promised. "I asked Damon straight out if he was killing people and he said, and I quote, 'no, I haven't because Judgy would fry me'." Ric said and they both looked surprised.

"I really wish he would stop calling me that." Bonnie muttered.

"But they're our friends. If they're going through something, we should be there for them." Elena said.

"Again, Elena, they are _vampires_. They are a million times physically stronger than you. This time, you _can't _risk it. Can you please trust me on this?" Ric asked her seriously and they were both surprised by that.

"Are you sure they aren't a danger?" Bonnie asked.

"If they're left alone to deal with it themselves, they won't be a danger, I swear." Ric said to her and she nodded.

"Fine, we'll leave them alone." Bonnie said.

"But, Bonnie!" Elena exclaimed.

"No, Elena. Ric's right. I have abilities, you don't. Stay away from them because I am." Bonnie warned and Elena looked annoyed.

"Just... stay away from the boarding house for a little while. Damon will let me know when all of it is resolved and I'll tell you." Ric said and they nodded.

"Are they... are they okay though?" Bonnie asked concerned.

"At the moment, yes." Ric replied.

"It's not bad hospital stuff, is it?" Bonnie asked softly.

"No." Ric replied and they both looked confused. "Damon told me last night if they figure it out they'll tell you both so just let them figure it out. We did a lot of research last night. It's nothing worrisome right _now_." Ric said.

"Okay." Bonnie nodded.

* * *

><p>Damon wandered into the boarding house after locking the door and saw Caroline sitting on the couch with a drink.<p>

"I have one for you." She held up a glass and he chuckled at that then sat down next to her and took it.

"Thanks." He said then took a sip.

"So what the hell is going on?" Caroline asked.

"I'm going to ask you some questions and you need to be completely honest with me... if you aren't honest with me and it _is _the thing I think it is we could die." He said and she looked surprised. "So you need to be completely honest even if you think it's embarrassing." He said and she shot him an annoyed look.

"Fine." She muttered.

"What did you feel earlier when you got pissed off with me?" He asked and she already looked embarrassed.

"I... uh... wanted to kill them. All of them. Even Bonnie and Elena." She said and he nodded.

"Do you get thoughts like I'm _yours_?" He asked and she blushed.

"Uh... it's possible." She mumbled and he chuckled.

"It's _possible_?" He asked and she glared at him.

"Fine. Yes." She said and he smirked. He reached over and took her hand.

"Do you feel physically better when I touch you?" He asked and she gulped as he interlaced their fingers.

"Yes." She admitted.

"After the cave, how long did it take you until you needed blood again?" He asked and she looked surprised.

"Uh, four days." She said and he nodded. He figured it was longer for him considering he was significantly older.

"It was two and a half weeks between the cave and yesterday, so from the point you needed blood again until yesterday, were you aggravated, on edge, snapping at people randomly?" He asked and she looked surprised again.

"Yes. I felt close to losing my temper practically non-stop... apart from when you were around." She admitted and he nodded. He'd been the same. "Except when you were around all I could think about was... well... the cave." She said.

"Mmhmm. And when I wasn't there, did you think about me at all?" He asked and she blushed.

"Most of the time." She admitted and he sighed.

"Yeah, I think it is what I thought it was." He said.

"What?" Caroline asked him.

"I think we're vampire mates." He said and she looked at him curiously.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 5

* * *

><p>"What does that mean?" She asked.<p>

"It's like... we need each other to survive." He said and her jaw dropped.

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"Mmm." He nodded.

"How would that even happen?" She asked confused.

"An emotional, physical and blood connection." He said. "It's kind of rare to be honest." He added.

"Can we stop it?" She asked.

"No." He replied with a small shake of his head.

"What does this mean, Damon?" She asked him worriedly and he saw the fear all over her face.

"The further away we are from each other and the longer we go without seeing each other, we'll become weaker and weaker and eventually die." He said and she looked stunned.

"So... vampire mates... is that like soul mates or something?" She asked sceptically. Damon saw that she was just trying to understand it.

"I'm not sure about that but it literally means that you are my other half." He said and her jaw dropped. "It literally means that if we continued to share blood, we would _never _need human blood ever again. We would stop feeling bloodlust completely." He said and she looked _shocked_. "But the longer you go without me, the more vampiric you'll become because your body will slowly get weaker which in turn will make your inner vampire want to protect itself and stay strong so it will make you a threat. You'll want to feed. You'll kill anyone who is remotely a threat to you even in the tiniest of ways." He said.

"But... I thought you said that we could kill each other." She said.

"I was just worried that it would be possible. But a vampire would never kill their mate considering they would be killing themselves too." He said.

"So if I die, you die?" She asked him and he nodded. "But what about the blacking out?" She asked as she tried to _process _this.

"We obviously sealed the mates thing in the cave with the blood and sex so I have a theory that if we _hadn't_ avoided each other after that, if we'd just continued the blood and sex, the blacking out would never happen as we would never feel the bloodlust and it wouldn't get to the point of pure _need _like we had yesterday." He said and she thought about that.

"Had you heard about this before?" Caroline asked.

"Basics." Damon nodded. "I thought it was a bunch of crap before though." He said.

"So... will anything else happen?" She asked.

"According to Isobel and Ric's research, eventually vampire mates are able to tap into each other's emotions, speak telepathically and sense each other's whereabouts." He said. "If you're serious about going to Miami, Alice might know more about this stuff. She's really old." He added.

"So what the hell are we going to do?" She asked him annoyed. "Does this mean we're like... stuck together forever?" She asked confused and he shrugged.

"How do you feel about me having sex with anyone else?" He asked and she glared at him furiously so he smirked. "Think you got your answer." He said amused. "You don't want me with anyone else." He said and she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the fire place in annoyance. "Why are you so pissed off?" He asked curiously.

"Aren't you?" She asked confused.

"No." He shrugged and she looked at him sceptically.

"I'm not exactly your first choice for a mate, am I?" She asked dryly and he chuckled.

"You are, actually." He said and she looked at him shocked.

"What?" She asked confused.

"It's not possible for vampire mates to happen unless both vampires want it." He said and she looked even more confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, it's not like this is possible with just two random vampires. The vampires have to want each other. You can't like, get stuck with a mate who you don't have feelings for." He said.

"You see that confuses me because I was under the impression that you love Elena." She pointed out and he smirked. He grabbed her then and pulled her on top of him so that she was straddling his lap and he put his arms around her and held her close.

"I'll try to explain." He said and she nodded for him to go on though she was really confused at him being all affectionate. "I... spent over a century with my emotions off." He said to her seriously. "I think you and I were meant to be mates because when I met you I was ridiculously drawn to you despite not feeling when I first met you. You were the one who forced my emotions back." He said and she looked shocked. "But when you haven't felt in over a _century_ you forget what emotions feel like. You forget what hurt and pain feels like. You fight tooth and nail to not feel again because feeling after so long is _beyond _awful. You feel like you want to die all the time." He admitted and Caroline watched him curiously. He never opened up like this, she thought. "You were so beautiful and perfect and sweet and I just wanted you so much that I treated you badly so that you would hate me and I wouldn't _have _to feel for you." He said and she blinked rapidly as she tried to comprehend that. "I felt nothing for over a century but I remembered that when I did feel, I felt for Katherine, so when my emotions started coming back I remembered that I was supposed to be in love with Katherine, but she wasn't around and Elena is her double so I moved what I was _supposed _to be feeling over to her. After that long without emotions, I didn't understand what the hell I was feeling because I didn't recognise what I was feeling. The reason I know all of this is because..." He trailed off. Caroline understood then that he was about to tell her something really personal. "When I get really out of my mind drunk, I write down everything I'm thinking. If I hadn't done that at the time, I would have snapped constantly because I couldn't cope with feeling after so long. I recently reread everything I'd written since I met you and you are in _every single entry_. So, when I'm out of my mind drunk, my subconscious seems to make sense because it's clear from everything I've written that I never really loved Katherine, which in turn means I never loved Elena. I just... didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was all over the place. My feelings were all over the place. But the thing that is most clear about all of it is that I _have _had feelings for you since I met you. My very first feeling that came back... I remember it..." He said. "It was that day when we were lying watching some old movie in your bed and you just randomly kissed my cheek, do you remember?" He asked and she nodded.

"You asked me what that was for and I said just because you're you." She said quietly.

"That was when I realised you'd gotten me to begin to feel again. In that moment, I thought it would be okay. I thought I could deal with feeling again because I would have you." He said.

"You were affectionate and you didn't bite me that day." She said in understanding and he nodded. "What made you change your mind?" She asked.

"The next day was the founder's event and Stefan tried to spike my drink with vervain in the boarding house. Because I was feeling a little bit, I felt betrayed and furious since we'd sort of been getting along and I remembered how awful feeling could be and I decided then that I was going to have to kill you or I would end up not just feeling the nice stuff I felt with you, but also all the other painful stuff and I couldn't cope with that." He said. "Then after that, I couldn't deal with the fact I'd been so monstrous with you so I shut down again and you hated me so my little ray of sunshine in the endless darkness was gone because of my own doing. I was planning to try and get you back but Stefan threatened me with a bunch of stuff if I didn't leave you alone and by then he told Elena that we're vampires and she told me she'd tell the council about me if I didn't leave you alone... so I killed Lexi to get back at Stefan for making me unable to get you back." He said and she looked shocked. "I was twisted and monstrous and feeling only a miniscule amount... I'm not trying to make excuses by telling you all of this... I'm just trying to explain." He said and she nodded.

"Why are you trying to explain?" She asked softly.

"Because you deserve the whole story. I also lied to you... You never annoyed me. I never thought you were shallow, stupid and useless. I never actually thought any of that about you. I just... wanted you to hate me." He said.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Because even if we are vampire mates, I will never in a million years deserve a creature like you." He said and her eyes watered a little. "I can't ever change what happened before. I've now accepted that I feel completely even if I don't tell people that I feel completely. I swear I will _never ever _hurt you ever again. The vampire mates thing... it's not just about the blood and sex... I could so easily fall in love with you. I might already be in love with you." He said and she looked shocked. "But as we've established, I'm not great with the feelings thing so I'm not entirely sure what that really means." He said.

"Thank you for telling me." Caroline said sincerely. "So, all of those questions you asked me, is that what you've been feeling about me?" She asked and he nodded. "Does that mean you actually want to be with me?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "But it's kind of clear from everything I wrote that I've wanted to be with you since I first met you. I just obviously pushed that away because I never thought it would happen." He said and she looked kind of stunned. "But if you don't want to be with me then we'll have to try and figure something else out." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"Well... it's a lot to do with the blood, so we might be able to stay normal if like... we drank a vial of each other's blood every other day or so." He said. "As far as the research goes, it's irreversible, but we might not have any need to be in close proximity for the bond if we drink each other's blood regularly." He explained.

"What do you mean by close proximity?" She asked.

"As in spending any time together or seeing each other out and about. If you want to just do the blood thing, it's better we don't see each other at all." He said.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Because I can't see you with someone else without having to physically force myself to not kill them." He said and internally she was stunned. "I didn't leave the house until after you broke up with Tyler because I would have killed him." He admitted and she nodded.

"I broke up with him because of you." She said. "It's not that I don't want to be with you... I'm just..." She trailed off.

"I hurt you before and you don't completely trust me." He finished for her and she nodded. "I know that." He replied. "But I can't prove to you that I mean it unless you let me try." He said and she sighed. He had a point.

"What about Tyler though? He's a hot head and he'd be _furious _at that." She said.

"Why don't I just kill him then it's not an issue?" He asked annoyed and she sighed.

"He doesn't deserve to die just because you're jealous." She said and he shot her an annoyed look.

"It's not about jealousy. It's about the fact he is physically stronger than you." Damon pointed out. "According to the research, a mate's blood will heal all wounds except a stake to the heart and beheading. So it's possible that also means a werewolf bite but we can't exactly risk that." He said. "So, if we are going to give this a try it either means we don't tell anyone or I kill Tyler." He said. "I can fight Tyler off but he's stronger than you."

"Wouldn't Klaus kill you for killing Tyler?" Caroline asked.

"How's he going to know? It's not like I'm going to send him a note saying it was me." Damon pointed out and Caroline chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I was going to kill him at the homecoming party but Bonnie stopped me." He said and Caroline looked surprised.

"Tyler didn't tell me that." She said.

"It's only a matter of time before he tries to kill me, Caroline. He tried to bite me again and now he can do it whenever he wants, but the difference is, if he bites me, you will _also _die." He said.

"I'm not going to sit and concoct plans to kill Tyler with you, Damon." Caroline said.

"So what are you going to do, Caroline? Let him kill us because you used to be friends with him?" He asked and she sighed. "I know it doesn't feel like it because you still live in the town you grew up in, you still have your childhood friends... but you _are _a vampire, you're not a human. One main rule of being a vampire is 'kill or be killed'. Something I've noticed in the past while is that my instinct to protect you is like my top priority. That's a mates thing as well apparently since I'm the older vampire. Tyler is a threat to you, so my instinct is to take out the threat. Do you understand that?" He asked softly. "I've never held my own life in high regard which is no doubt obvious given how many reckless things I've done... but now... my life is tied to yours, so I can't take any risks." He said and Caroline's stomach fluttered. She understood what he was saying because she would never risk his life for anything and she knew Tyler would go nuts if he found out which he no doubt would. Everyone was noticing that something was up with the two of them. It was only a matter of time.

"Nobody finds out." Caroline said to him seriously.

"About what?" Damon asked confused.

"Kill Tyler." She said to him which surprised him. "But _nobody _finds out. Nobody finds out that you did it nor that I knew about it." She said. "You'll take his body to the crematorium in the next town and burn him to ash then get rid of the ash in the river. You can't just bury him because that _never _works." She said and he was kind of surprised that he'd never thought of the crematorium before. "Neither of us knows anything about it and we need to start drinking vervain in case Klaus comes back and compels us to find out what happened to him." She said. "Then after that, no more death unless absolutely necessary." She warned him. "No killing Ric because you're in a mood, no draining humans, no snapping." She said. "There's been enough unnecessary death." She said and he sighed.

"Alright." He agreed.

"He goes for a run alone every night through the woods. That would no doubt be the best time." She said.

"So... does this mean you _do _want to be with me?" He asked pulling her a little closer as she was still on his lap facing him.

"Depends." She smirked and he chuckled at her cheeky expression.

"On what?" He asked.

"Are you going to try?" She asked.

"Try to do what?" He smirked.

"To be the best boyfriend ever?" She asked and he laughed.

"You might have to point me in the right direction of that considering I'm kind of clueless but yeah, I'll try." He replied and she smiled.

"Alright then." She nodded.

"Mmm, excellent." He smirked then leaned forward and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back and he just pulled her even closer. Caroline pulled away and looked at him in contemplation. "What?" He asked curiously.

"Can we make sure the blackout thing doesn't happen again before we tell people about this?" She asked and he nodded.

"Alright." He agreed. "But I think if we share blood regularly, I doubt it will happen again." He said.

"So it's the blood and not the sex?" She asked.

"Well _I _think it's the blood." He said and she nodded. He was surprised to see her face change then she leaned forward and bit into his neck. He had to admit that he liked that she felt comfortable enough with him to just do it instead of asking or informing him. She drank down a few gulps and it _was _still the best blood ever but she didn't feel the bloodlust so she didn't feel like she was getting lost in it. She pulled away and he looked at her surprised. "You didn't take that much." He said curiously.

"I still have no bloodlust. It's still the best blood ever but I don't feel like I _need _every drop like I did yesterday." She said. "Your turn." She said then tilted her head to the side. He brought her closer to him then kissed her neck a few times before gently sinking his fangs into her. He saw immediately what she meant. He took about the same amount then pulled away and licked his lips. "Do you feel like yesterday now that we've shared?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I mean _obviously_ I want you." He smirked and she giggled. "But I don't feel like I'll just die if I don't have you." He said and she chuckled.

"It's the blood." She agreed. "We should do that every day and see if we really don't have to feed on human blood anymore." She said and he nodded.

"Stay with me tonight." He said and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You have to earn the sleepover." She said and he smirked.

"I'm not going to try anything." He said surprising her. "I just mean stay and _sleep_. I'll even bring you breakfast in bed." He said with a million dollar smile and she giggled.

"This I have to see." She said and he chuckled.

"Good." He replied amused. He held onto her then and stood up which surprised her as he was carrying her.

"What are you doing?" She giggled.

"Taking you up to my room." He replied like it was totally obvious.

"Why's that?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.

"_Well_, since it's already 10.30pm, it's kind of late for me to take you on a date and I know you like lying in bed watching movies so it kind of was the most logical option." He said as he walked and she chuckled.

"You're going to take me on a date?" She asked curiously and he laughed.

"Yeah, obviously." He nodded.

"I don't have pyjamas here." She said in realisation.

"Well, you can either wear shorts and a t-shirt, one of my shirts or you can look in Stefan's room and see if Elena left any pyjamas." He shrugged as he started up the stairs still carrying her.

"You like the idea of one of your shirts. I saw that little glint in your eye." She teased and he chuckled.

"Mmhmm." He nodded. "Those sexy long pale legs of yours on display? Can't really help liking the idea of that." He smirked and she laughed a little. She saw that he was being really open with her and she liked it. It was as if telling him she would give him a shot was making him honest about how he was feeling. She had to admit she _really_ liked it.

"Alright, I'll go for the shirt." She smirked and he chuckled.

"Torturing me, huh?" He asked and she laughed.

"Oh, yeah." She nodded and he chuckled. He arrived at his room and kicked the door closed behind him after Caroline pushed the button for the light switch. "Can I pick one?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He replied then set her down in front of his closet. "What do you want to watch?" He asked as he wandered over to his DVDs.

"Do you have anything that isn't like, Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" She asked as she looked through his shirts and he chuckled.

"Horror movies are kind of boring when you're a vampire, you know." He said amused and she giggled. "Do you still like those girl movies?" He asked and she laughed.

"Of course." She replied and he chuckled. "Why?" She asked.

"I found one I like." He said amused and she giggled.

"Is that so?" She asked. "Which one?"

"The House Bunny." He replied and she laughed.

"No way, you like that?" She giggled.

"I like Anna Faris. She's funny." He said.

"Think we have to watch that now. A chick flick you _actually _like?" She teased and he smirked.

"Alright." He said amused. He found the DVD then walked over to the TV and put the DVD on. When he turned around, Caroline was standing in just one of his dark grey long sleeve shirts and she'd left the top couple of buttons undone. "Mmm, so hot." He smirked and she winked at him then climbed up under the covers. Damon grabbed the remote and pressed play then walked over to his closet and pulled out a t-shirt. He got undressed down to his boxers, pulled the t-shirt on then dumped his suit in the hamper. He'd have to remember to get that dry cleaned, he thought. He wandered over to the bed and got in beside Caroline after he'd put the room light off. Caroline was surprised when he pulled her into him so that she was lying on his shoulder with his arm around her back.

"You know, usually movies in bed requires snacks." Caroline said amused and Damon smirked at her.

"Well, if you get peckish you can just bite me." He said and she chuckled.

"You really like getting bitten, don't you?" She teased and he laughed.

"Just by you." He smirked and she smiled. "It's hot when you do it." He said.

"Not like snacks are better than that anyway." She said and he chuckled.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 6

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><p>Damon woke up in the middle of the night with a worried looking Caroline looking at him.<p>

"Someone's in the house." She whispered so quietly only he would have heard her. That had Damon on high alert. He extended his hearing and he heard _very _quiet footsteps. No human could make footsteps that quiet.

"They're heading this way. Stay there." He whispered back and she looked at him wide eyed. Damon silently got out of bed and moved over to the door. He stood at the side of the door against the wall so he'd be able to ambush whoever it was. He noticed that his instincts to protect Caroline were peaking and he had to concentrate on not killing whoever it was in case it was Stefan. Not that he thought it was Stefan but if it was and he killed him, he'd never get over it. He heard the slow footsteps get closer and closer. He imagined they were following the scent. Damon noticed that Caroline had stopped breathing so there would be complete silence. The footsteps got to the door and the handle went down really slowly then the door started to open. As soon as Damon saw the figure, in one swift move he attacked and had the person face first against the wall. He noticed he was much stronger than usual so whoever it was had no chance of getting away from the wall. He recognised the scent though. "Tyler Lockwood. What the hell are you doing?" Damon asked annoyed as he reached over and flicked the light on.

"Let go of me." Tyler snapped as Damon had his face pressed forcefully against the wall.

"_Why _are you in my house?" Damon asked angrily.

"I just wanted to find Caroline." Tyler replied annoyed.

"What do you _want_?" Caroline asked annoyed.

"Why are you in Damon's room?" Tyler asked shocked.

"If you don't tell me what the hell you're doing in my house, I'll kill you. So talk." Damon said angrily. Tyler was struggling to get free but he couldn't because of Damon's steel grip.

"I overheard Ric, Bonnie and Elena talking about the two of you earlier so I just wanted to see if Caroline was okay." Tyler said.

"In the middle of the night?" Caroline asked annoyed. "What part of 'leave me alone' didn't you get?" She asked.

"What were they saying?" Damon asked.

"Ric was telling them to leave the two of you alone because it wasn't safe because Elena wanted to follow and spy on you to find out what's wrong." Tyler said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"How did you get in? I locked the front door." Damon said.

"You didn't lock the porch door at the back." Tyler said and Damon scowled at nothing in particular.

"Caroline is fine. So get out." Damon said.

"Damon." Caroline said wide eyed and Damon realised his sleepy brain had missed the part where he totally had Tyler in an easy kill position. Damon motioned for Caroline to go into the bathroom and she understood what was going to happen and she winced then raced into the bathroom... Damon then changed his mind. Tyler didn't seem as pissed off as he thought he'd be and he kind of didn't want to kill him anymore.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked confused.

"Get the hell out." Damon said then let Tyler go and took a step back away from him. Tyler turned around and glared at Damon.

"Why is Caroline in your room?" He asked angrily.

"It's really not your business." Damon replied.

"Are you sleeping together?" Tyler exclaimed and Damon rolled his eyes.

"No." He said.

"She was in your bed. I saw her." Tyler said furiously.

"Are you going to be able to control your temper?" Damon asked. Caroline was shocked that Damon hadn't just killed him.

"Obviously." Tyler glared.

"She's my girlfriend." Damon said casually like it was so obvious and Tyler's jaw dropped. Caroline was a little surprised at hearing him say it too though the mates bond thing was making her _love _that he said it.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's the middle of the night, dude. Can you buzz off already?" Damon asked annoyed.

"You're together?" Tyler asked fiercely and Damon nodded. Caroline's eyes widened a little as Tyler sounded _outraged _and she was really worried that Damon would get himself bitten. Tyler's face changed and he lunged at Damon and pinned him to the ground then in a move too quick for Tyler to register, Damon pulled his heart out and Tyler gasped then greyed on top of him.

"Typical." Damon muttered. The one time he decides to go the non-killing route, the choice is taken away from him. Damon got up off the floor then picked Tyler up, darted downstairs to the cell and put him and his heart there. He stopped off and locked the back door then washed his hands downstairs thoroughly then went back up to his room where Caroline was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Did you..." She trailed off and he nodded.

"His face changed and he attacked me." Damon said.

"You changed your mind." She said softly.

"I did, actually. I thought about what you said about all the needless death and I thought maybe we could give it a rest." Damon said and Caroline shot him a sad look. She realised that Damon had tried to go the peaceful route for once and he would have let Tyler go if Tyler hadn't lunged at him.

"He forced your hand." Caroline said sadly. "Where is he?" She asked.

"The cell." Damon replied. "I've never been to the crematorium before. I need to figure out how to get him in there without being seen before I just take him there." He said.

"There's one night guard and he just sits behind the desk at the front entrance. The back of it doesn't have security footage but the front does. If you go in the back way you can get straight into the burner without anyone seeing you." Caroline said and Damon cocked an eyebrow at her.

"How do you know that?" He asked and she bit her lip.

"It's possible that I've been there before." She said.

"Possible?" He asked.

"Fine, I killed a couple of people over the summer and the last thing anyone needed was to find more buried bodies with bite marks so I went to the crematorium." She said and he looked surprised.

"Okay." He said. "Won't the night guard hear the furnace go on?" Damon asked as he could tell she didn't want to talk about it.

"No, the room is practically soundproof and on the other side of the building. He's not a very good guard. He just sits there." She said and he chuckled.

"Probably best to take him now then." Damon replied.

"Are you taking your car?" She asked.

"No, I'll run." He said grabbing a pair of jeans and pulling them on.

"I'll come with you. It takes like two hours." She said.

"It won't be as long because he's not human." Damon replied and she looked surprised. "It only takes a vampire about an hour to burn to ash with regular fire so an incinerator will be much quicker." He said.

"Still." She said.

"Alright. Do you want to go look in Stefan's room? Elena might have jeans or sweat pants there." He said.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." She said then darted up to Stefan's room. A couple of minutes later she came back wearing black sweatpants and a grey hoodie and sneakers. Elena's sneakers were a size too small but that was better than running in heels.

* * *

><p>It took just over half an hour for him to burn completely to ash. Caroline found it really difficult but she could be a mess later. When it was done, Damon fished out the ash then the two of them ran to the river and Damon poured the ash into the river and Tyler was gone. They went back to the boarding house, had showers then went back to bed. Caroline snuggled back into Damon and he rubbed her back. He knew it was really hard for her and she was distraught. He told her to let it out and she cried. He held her and apologised to her for having to do it and a short while later she was asleep and Damon followed her into sleep shortly after that.<p>

* * *

><p>Caroline woke up the following morning and it took a couple of seconds to remember that she was in Damon's bed. She was hugged into his side with his arms around her. She looked up and saw that he was awake already.<p>

"Morning." She said sleepily.

"Morning." He replied. "You alright?" He asked and she nodded. "Do you want breakfast in bed?" He smirked and she chuckled.

"I'd rather watch you make it." She replied amused and he laughed.

"Alright." He nodded. He rolled over on top of her and leaned down and pecked her a soft kiss on the lips. Caroline held onto his sides and he watched her face curiously.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking I could get used to this." He replied and she couldn't help a small smile at that.

"Used to what?" She asked.

"Waking up with you." He replied and she smiled a little wider.

"I like it." She admitted and he smiled.

"Well, you can stay whenever you want to." He said.

"Think that might freak my mom out." She replied and he chuckled.

"Does she come in and check on you in the middle of the night?" He asked.

"No." She laughed. "She never comes in my room unless I ask her to for some reason." She said.

"So... then you could jump out the window." He winked at her and she laughed.

"Or you could just stay with me instead sometime." She said.

"Mmhmm." He agreed.

* * *

><p>Damon was sitting at the bar in the Grill a week later with Ric and he was surprised by how much he <em>missed <em>her. Ric noticed that he seemed a little annoyed but he didn't comment. After a couple of hours, Damon suddenly smiled then turned around and Ric looked and saw Caroline coming in the door.

"Did you hear her?" Ric asked.

"Nope." Damon smirked and Ric looked surprised. Ric realised then that it was the bond. Damon felt happier in her presence so when she was near he would know. Ric watched a smile form on her face too and she went over to them.

"Hey." Caroline smiled at the two of them. "I knew you were here before I walked in." She said to Damon amused and he chuckled.

"That's just weird." Ric commented and they laughed a little.

"By the way, my mom's on night shift tonight." Caroline said to Damon who smirked. Caroline knew he'd be over and she smiled.

"You know, you two are so_ obvious_." Ric said and they both chuckled a little. "When are you telling people?" He asked.

"In a couple of weeks. We just need to make sure the blackout thing doesn't happen again." Caroline said.

"I don't think it will though." Damon commented. "Unless we're separated for a while at some point." He said.

"Why aren't your faces changing randomly now? I thought it was if you smell each other." Ric said confused.

"Yeah, but because of the blood, there's no bloodlust so we don't need any, therefore, no face change." Caroline said.

"So will it go back to that once it wears off?" Ric asked confused.

"No. We've decided only to drink from each other so we won't _ever _have any bloodlust." Caroline said.

"So you could potentially never need human blood again?" Ric asked shocked.

"Potentially." Damon nodded. "Obviously, we don't know yet." He said. "But it hasn't even crossed my mind since the blackout." He said.

"Me neither." Caroline agreed.

"Isn't that kind of amazing though?" Ric asked.

"Very." Caroline nodded. "That and I don't want to go back to human blood." She said amused and Damon laughed. He _so _agreed with that.

* * *

><p>Bonnie and Elena walked into the Grill since they were meeting Caroline and they glanced at each other curiously since she was at the bar with Damon. They were both <em>dying <em>to know what the hell was going on considering Caroline and Damon seemed to be spending a lot of time together.

* * *

><p>Damon hopped in Caroline's open window then closed it behind him. She was already in bed with a movie paused waiting for him. He pulled off his jacket, boots and jeans then climbed in beside her. He rolled on top of her then kissed her and she kissed him back deeply and held him to her.<p>

"Am I supposed to be missing you when you're not there?" Caroline asked him curiously and he smirked.

"I suppose you are considering I've been the same all day." He said and she giggled softly. He moved his head down to her neck and kissed her neck and shoulder and cheek.

"What are you doing?" She giggled and he shrugged but didn't stop. He rolled onto his side and pulled her on her side to face him then kissed her again. "No, really. Why are you being so kissy?" She asked with a smile. He saw that she obviously really liked it.

"I just feel so happy, I can't help it." He said and she smiled even wider.

"I feel that too." She agreed. "Like... _really _happy." She said and he nodded.

"What movie did you put on?" He asked curiously as he pulled her closer and she snuggled into him.

"Star Wars: A New Hope." She shrugged and he chuckled.

"Haven't seen that in a while." He said amused. Caroline was eyeing him sceptically. It had been a week since they decided to be together and they'd stayed with each other every night and Damon hadn't tried _anything_. He was just cuddly and kissy and really affectionate but made no other move... Caroline was kind of worried that he didn't _want _to.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He replied.

"Why haven't you tried anything?" She asked and he chuckled in understanding.

"Because I remember you saying I had to earn the sleepover so I figured you meant sex since you've stayed with me every night since you said that and obviously tonight I'm here." He said and she chuckled a little.

"You haven't tried _anything _though." She pointed out and he kissed her cheek.

"Well... as sappy as it sounds... I don't want to fuck it up by pushing you." He said and she smiled.

"But you do _want _to, right?" She asked and he laughed.

"You're joking right? Keeping my hands to myself for a whole week with you has been like the hardest thing I've _ever _done." He said and she laughed.

"So... don't keep them to yourself then." She smirked at him and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Don't toy with me, woman." He warned playfully and she laughed.

"I'm not." She replied then in a flash he ripped her pyjamas off in one move and she laughed loudly at his eagerness. "Hot." She winked at him and he smirked then crashed his lips to hers.

* * *

><p>Caroline lay cuddled into his chest and Damon held her tightly against him. Neither could even <em>comprehend <em>what had just happened.

"This is going to sound really lame." Caroline said to him.

"I am _probably _thinking the same thing." He replied.

"That was like... not only full body bliss... but like... emotional bliss too." She said in shock.

"Okay, I was _definitely _thinking the same thing." He agreed. Caroline looked up at him then.

"We aren't going to be able to hide this." She said.

"Why?" He asked confused.

"Because... I... just want to be with you all the time." She said and he smiled.

"Then be with me all the time." He said and she smiled at him widely then kissed him.

"Then we definitely can't hide it." She said and he chuckled.

"You should probably tell your mother first." He said.

"Why?" Caroline asked confused.

"I don't see her being happy about you being with me." Damon replied. "Your dad _definitely _won't be." He said and she sighed.

"Well... it's not like they get a say in the matter. I'm eighteen." She said.

"But they're important to you." Damon pointed out.

"Yeah they are. But you're my mate. You're important to me too." She said and he smirked.

"That's the first time you've called me that." He said and she smiled.

"I don't think boyfriend really covers what we're experiencing." She said and he chuckled.

"Are you going to tell your mother the reality?" He asked.

"She might like the idea more considering we have no bloodlust so we don't have to drink human blood." She said.

"Alright." He agreed. "But she can't tell anyone." He said.

"I'll talk to her soon." She said.

* * *

><p>Just over a week later, Damon was waiting on a bench in the town square for Caroline. She was telling the Sheriff about them and he was truthfully kind of nervous. If it went badly... he could lose her. He felt better suddenly so he knew she was near. He stood up and turned to the side and saw her hurrying over with a smile on her face.<p>

* * *

><p>Elena and Bonnie were across the street and they saw Damon sitting on a bench in the square and he looked kind of nervous so they started walking over until the spotted Caroline hurrying over to him with a smile... so they stopped and watched. They saw Damon smile too then Caroline jumped on him and kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.<p>

Elena and Bonnie nearly fell over in shock.

* * *

><p>Caroline pulled away and smiled at him. Her arms were still around his neck and he was still holding her tightly against him.<p>

"So it went well?" He asked amused by her reaction.

"Yes and no." Caroline replied.

"How so?" He asked curiously.

"She's fine with that and happy about the blood... but I explained that we kind of need to be together all the time so she asked if I would consider moving into the boarding house so she doesn't need to have _two _vampires in the house all the time." She said and Damon grinned.

"Yes, move into the boarding house." He said happily and she smiled then kissed him again.

"Really?" She asked softly and he nodded.

"If you haven't noticed, Blondie, we're together _all the time_." He smirked and she laughed a little.

"I noticed." She smirked back. "You're really okay with me totally invading your space?" She asked sceptically and he laughed.

"I'm not painting the room pink but otherwise invade my space as much as you want to." He teased and she laughed.

"Yeah, but you shop like a girl. There's no room for my stuff in your room." She said amused and he laughed.

"So... why don't we turn the room next door to mine into like a closet and dressing room." He suggested and she smiled surprised.

"Yeah, that would be great." She agreed.

"Mmm, excellent." He said then cupped her cheeks and kissed her. Caroline kissed back with a smile on her face.

"Why don't we go to that furniture store and have a look then?" She asked.

"Alright." He shrugged then took her hand and she interlaced their fingers and the two of them walked through the square together over to Damon's car.

* * *

><p>Elena and Bonnie had been standing <em>gaping <em>at them because they were like _ridiculously _happy. They were smiling and laughing and kissing and Elena and Bonnie were sure they were going to faint from the _sheer shock_ when Damon took her hand. When Damon drove off Bonnie turned to Elena wide eyed.

"What the hell was that? You _did _see that too, right?" Bonnie asked shocked and Elena nodded.

"Let's go ask Ric." Elena said and Bonnie nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just showcasing what might have happened if Damon hadn't been turned into such an Elena doormat on the show.

* * *

><p>It's The Blood<p>

Chapter 7

* * *

><p>Ric opened his door and found Elena and Bonnie staring at him deadpan and he sighed.<p>

"Ah... you finally saw them." Ric said.

"Explain." Bonnie said.

"I can't. I promised." Ric admitted and they both looked confused.

"Wait – so them being together has something to do with why they're being weird?" Elena asked confused.

"They aren't _just _together." Ric said. "But – let them explain it." He said. "I'm not going to break my promise to Damon so you'll just have to ask them."

"Fine. We're going over to the boarding house." Bonnie said. "Is it still not safe?" She asked.

"It should be okay now." Ric nodded and they both looked at him confused then left.

* * *

><p>Bonnie and Elena were at the boarding house for over two hours before they heard a car pull up. They were sure they heard two cars which confused them. The door opened a few minutes later.<p>

"It's up the stairs, down the right hall, the second door on the right." They heard Damon instruct. Bonnie and Elena peered into the hall and saw two guys carrying a huge black wardrobe up the stairs then two other guys came through the door carrying a matching large chest of black drawers and they looked at each other confused. Seconds later, Damon came through the door with his arm over Caroline's shoulders.

"You know, you could have had them upstairs by now." Caroline said to him amused and he chuckled.

"Yeah but I'd rather carry _you _upstairs." He said seductively then kissed her cheek and she chuckled.

"Wait until they leave then you can carry me anywhere you want." She replied and he smirked then pushed her up against the wall and kissed her.

"Sounds good." He said amused then kissed her again... oblivious to the two dropped jaws watching.

"Bad blood?" Bonnie asked dryly and Damon and Caroline stopped kissing then turned their heads to look.

"Think they noticed?" Caroline asked amused and Damon laughed.

"See? If I'd just carried you upstairs, we wouldn't have to deal with _this_." He said amused and she giggled.

"Ric won't talk." Elena crossed her arms over her chest and both of them sighed then chuckled at each other having the same reaction.

"Damn Ric and his inability to blab." Caroline muttered and Damon laughed.

"Totally." He agreed amused and she giggled.

"What the hell is going on?" Bonnie asked.

"Wait until the guys leave then we'll talk." Caroline muttered.

* * *

><p>The guys carried up two more wardrobes and another chest of drawers then Damon tipped them and they left. He took a seat next to Caroline across from Bonnie and Elena.<p>

"So you two are together?" Bonnie asked and they both nodded.

"But it's a bit more than just being together." Caroline said and they both looked confused.

"It's a rare occurrence but basically what happened is we've become vampire mates." Damon said.

"I've read about that before." Bonnie said surprised then moments later her eyes widened. "But that means..." She said shocked and they both nodded.

"Means what?" Elena asked worriedly.

"Their lives are bound to each other." Bonnie said and Elena's jaw dropped. "If one dies, so does the other." She said in disbelief.

"How the hell did this happen?" Elena asked shocked.

"We're not _entirely _sure." Damon replied. "But in the vampire world it basically makes Blondie my wife." He said and Bonnie and Elena looked shocked all over again. Caroline already knew that.

"What does it mean in reality?" Bonnie asked concerned.

"It means that we feel better in each other's presence, we're faster and stronger than usual, but the best part..." Caroline smiled. "We haven't fed on human blood in almost three weeks." She said and Bonnie and Elena's jaws dropped.

"How?" Elena asked shocked.

"Because all we'll ever need for the rest of eternity is each other's blood." Damon replied and they looked stunned all over again.

"You're feeding from each other?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Yes." Caroline nodded. "And because of that, we have _zero _bloodlust. It feels like being human." Caroline said and they still looked shocked.

"So does this mean you two are like... going to be together forever?" Elena asked confused.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"What was with the face changing?" Bonnie asked.

"The longer we're separated, the more dangerous it is. The longer we don't see each other or feed from each other the more vampiric we become because our bodies start to weaken. If we were separated for long enough, we would die." Caroline said. "So, that day at the founder's event, it was because we'd been avoiding each other." She explained.

"How long could you be separated before you'd be a threat?" Bonnie asked concerned.

"Do you mean a threat in the sense that we wouldn't have control over ourselves?" Damon asked and Bonnie nodded. "According to Ric's research, probably about a year. It would be longer for me because I'm so much older." Damon replied. "But at that point, the _only _goal would be finding the other. If, for example, we were entombed separately and couldn't get out and had no blood, we wouldn't survive long at all. But if we were out in the world, we could probably survive for a decade without each other." He said.

"But it would be a blood bath." Bonnie said in understanding and Damon nodded. "Nobody can find out about this." Bonnie said. "If Klaus finds out about this, he could separate you just to amuse himself."

"I know." Damon replied. "I need to speak to Alice about this. We're not the only mates in the world. There must be some way to dampen it a bit if we ever _need _to be separated." He said.

"Don't you want to find a way to break it?" Elena asked confused and both Caroline and Damon shot her an annoyed look which surprised Bonnie.

"No." They said simultaneously and Elena looked even more confused.

"But why? You're like... being forced to be together." She said.

"No, we aren't. It's not possible to be mates if the vampires don't want each other." Damon replied.

"We're like... each other's other half. We'd never break it." Caroline said and Damon nodded.

"What was with the furniture? Isn't that the room next door to yours?" Elena asked Damon confused as she tried to process everything they were saying.

"We're turning that room into a huge closet." Caroline grinned.

"Why?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Because I'm moving in with Damon." Caroline replied and they looked shocked.

"Really? Why?" Elena asked confused.

"We're always together anyway." Damon shrugged. "Not like it's a big deal." He said.

"Does Liz know that?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, I explained all of this to her earlier." Caroline nodded.

"You told your mom before us?" Elena asked shocked.

"We were planning to tell you but since Damon's been such a _saint _in this town, he figured my mom should find out before everyone else." Caroline teased and Damon rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"I promised you no more unnecessary death." Damon defended with a smirk and Bonnie and Elena looked surprised that he _agreed _to that.

"I know, I was just saying." Caroline winked and he shot her an amused look.

"So... let me get this straight... you two are basically never going to feed on human blood again as long as you're not separated." Bonnie said.

"Yep." Caroline replied and Damon nodded his agreement.

"Just because you don't need to?" Bonnie asked sceptically and they laughed.

"No, because we don't want to." Caroline said and they both looked confused again. "Fine, it's because human blood doesn't taste remotely as good." She said and their jaws dropped.

"Seriously?" Elena asked shocked.

"Mmhmm. Her blood is like the most incredible tasting thing imaginable." Damon agreed.

"But... it's dead blood." Bonnie said confused and they shrugged.

"Don't know _why _or _how _but it just _is_." Damon replied.

"Tyler's going to be mad." Elena commented.

"That's why we haven't told anyone yet. If he bites me then we both die and Caroline won't let me kill him." Damon replied with an eye roll. They'd already decided they weren't going to tell anyone the truth about what happened to Tyler.

"But obviously we can't tell him about all of this because he's Klaus' bitch." Caroline said and Damon chuckled at that.

"Klaus' bitch. That's funny. I'm going to call Stefan that." Damon said amused and Caroline giggled.

"I haven't seen him for a while. When was the last time you saw him?" Bonnie asked and Caroline shrugged.

"I saw him at the founder's thing two weeks ago then ducked out to avoid him. But I've basically just been with Damon since then so I haven't seen him around." Caroline replied.

"So, Ric knows about all of this?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, he helped me figure out what the hell was going on." Damon nodded.

"We should go to Miami soon then so you can talk to Alice." Bonnie said.

"Mmm, that would be fun." Damon agreed with a smile.

"But you're so not staying with her." Caroline said and Damon chuckled and looked at her amused. Bonnie and Elena were surprised at how _possessive _she sounded because she wasn't naturally like that.

"Aww, you're jealous." Damon teased her and she glared at him which only made him laugh.

"She's a girl and you're a man whore. You have no doubt slept with her at _some point_." Caroline pointed out and all three of them laughed at that.

"I'm not a man whore." Damon defended amused and she glared at him.

"So you _did _sleep with her." Caroline said and Damon chuckled.

"Of course not." He lied and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Want to try that again?" She asked and he smirked.

"Fine, but it was a long time ago." He said she shot him an annoyed look.

"What's the big deal? Everyone knows Damon is a man whore." Bonnie said and Elena and Damon laughed a little.

"I'm not a man whore." Damon defended amused. "The mate thing makes us _particularly _possessive." He said. "So it's probably best you don't meet Alice." Damon said to her amused.

"Why?" Elena asked confused.

"Caroline might try to kill her." Damon shrugged and they both looked shocked.

"What?" Bonnie asked in disbelief.

"I'm sure it'll be fine as long as she doesn't hug you or kiss you or touch you in any way." Caroline said and he laughed while Bonnie and Elena looked shocked.

"Fine, I'll give her a heads up." Damon smirked.

"What?" Caroline asked him shocked. "Does she _normally _do that?" She asked annoyed and he chuckled.

"We've been best friends for over a _century_,Caroline. Do you hug Bonnie and Elena?" He asked.

"I don't have sex with them though." She said dryly and he smirked.

"Now there's a thought. I don't think I'd be possessive if that were to happen." He said amused and all three girls rolled their eyes at him.

"Wait a minute. Is _that _why you asked me to dance? You were trying to make Caroline jealous?" Bonnie asked and Damon laughed a little.

"There is a _tiny _possibility of that." He smirked and Bonnie chuckled.

"Is that why you were in such a good mood?" Bonnie giggled.

"Mmhmm. She was totally scowling at me the whole time." Damon chuckled and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You're just as bad with Matt and Tyler, you know." Caroline said dryly and he smirked.

"I know. If they touch you, I'll kill them, so don't let them touch you and I won't kill them." He said to her amused and she chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"But _why_?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Because she's **mine**." Damon said seriously. "It's the mate thing." He shrugged.

"Wait – is Damon why you broke up with Tyler?" Elena asked curiously and they both kind of went quiet. "You cheated on Tyler?" Elena asked shocked.

"Not on purpose." Caroline bit her lip. "It just kind of... happened." She said.

"It's not her fault." Damon agreed.

"Will anything _else _happen because of this?" Bonnie asked sceptically.

"One day we might be able to speak to each other telepathically, sense each other's whereabouts and feel each other's emotions." Damon replied and they looked surprised.

"Does it... make you happy?" Bonnie asked and they nodded.

"Ridiculously so. Like... imagine the most happy you've ever been and magnify it ten times." Caroline explained.

"What would happen if one of you slept with someone else?" Bonnie asked.

"It wouldn't happen." Caroline shrugged.

"But what if it _did_?" Bonnie asked.

"But it wouldn't. There's like absolutely _no _point in sleeping with anyone else." Damon replied.

"How so?" Bonnie asked confused.

"It's hard to explain." Damon replied. "It's like... there _is _nobody else in the world." He said shocking Bonnie and Elena. "So, we'll never _want _anyone else." He said.

"The thought makes me feel kind of sick to be honest." Caroline said with distaste.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded. "Even the _man whore _agrees with that." Damon said teasingly and Caroline giggled.

"So you two are _really _only going to sleep with each other for all of eternity." Bonnie said sceptically.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded again.

"For thousands of years. Only each other." Bonnie said and they laughed.

"Yeah." Caroline said. "What's the big deal?" She asked amused.

"You're making a lifetime commitment after only a couple of weeks, that's the big deal." Bonnie said a little shocked and they both shrugged.

"If this is what it'll be like then I'd love to feel like this forever." Caroline said. "Anyway, we have a date with home depot. Is the inquiry over?" Caroline asked and Damon smirked at her.

"_Why _home depot?" Damon asked her sceptically.

"Paint for the closet." She replied like it was so obvious.

"I'll just pay someone to do that." Damon said.

"But it'll be fun." Caroline smiled.

"Painting is _not _fun." Damon muttered.

"I'll make it fun." She winked at him and he chuckled.

"How?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You'll see." She winked at him.

"Fine." He said amused.

"What about Miami?" Bonnie asked.

"Next weekend?" Damon asked.

"That'll be fun." Caroline smiled.

"Okay." Bonnie agreed.

"Just text me your passport numbers." Damon said.

* * *

><p>Damon felt like he'd seen colours he'd never known existed by the end of the first hour in home depot. They'd looked at <em>every <em>paint colour there and Caroline couldn't decide.

"Oh, c'mon, Barbie. Just pick one." Damon complained.

"But it's supposed to be _our _closet." She pouted.

"And?" He asked not understanding the problem.

"You're supposed to like it too and you're not exactly a _colour _fan." She pointed out and he rolled his eyes.

"But you already shot down my ideas." He countered.

"You said black. You can't have black walls, black floors _and _black furniture." She replied. "That's totally depressing." She said.

"So... red then." He said.

"It's supposed to be where we'll get ready in the morning. Seeing red walls will bring out anger in us first thing in the morning which will ruin the whole day." She replied and he sighed in annoyance.

"Blue." He said.

"Yeah, but blue has a kind of cold feel to it." She said and he huffed.

"Purple?" He asked getting annoyed. If she was just going to say no to everything he said, why didn't _she _just pick one so they could get the hell out of there? What part of 'I don't give a crap about the colour of the wall' was hard to understand? She looked mildly surprised at his suggestion then smiled.

"I like it." She replied and Damon wanted to do a happy dance at _finally _getting somewhere. "Now we just have to pick the right shade." Damon groaned.

"Okay, I have officially had it." Damon replied and she frowned.

"But..."

"No." He said then took her hand and walked them down to the purple paint selection. He looked over the 'warm' purple colours. "That one." He pointed to a warm purple that wasn't too dark and didn't feel 'cold' as she put it. "So let's take it and go. I'm fed up now." He said to her and she chuckled.

"Fine." She said amused though internally she'd been annoying him on purpose so he would pick the colour because she was seriously indecisive though she liked the idea of purple. She was shocked it had taken him so long to pick one. Caroline noticed the little paint mixing room was empty and she got an idea and looked around to see if anyone would see them.

"What are you so smiley about?" Damon asked her suspiciously and she giggled then grabbed his hand and pulled him into the paint mixing room and kicked the door closed behind them then pushed him up against the wall and he smirked. "I like where this is going." He commented and she chuckled then kissed him and he pulled her closer and kissed her back with fevered abandon. Caroline fumbled with his belt buckle while he lifted her skirt and continued kissing her. He pushed her underwear to the side and ran his finger along her folds and she moaned into his mouth at the sudden pleasure.

"We need to be quick though." She mumbled and he chuckled then had an idea. He kissed her as he rubbed her clit and walked her backwards to where the paint mixing table was and her ass hit gently on the table when they got there. Damon pulled away from the kiss then turned her around and bent her over the table without stopping the movements of his fingers.

"We'll be quick." He mumbled from behind her into the side of her neck. He pulled out his cock from his boxers and lined himself up to her wet entrance then slid inside and Caroline bit her lip at how deep he was inside of her at that angle. Caroline's hands grasped the table and she was already close because of the amazing way his experienced fingers were massaging her sensitive clit. Damon thrust back and forth and the penetration they both got from the angle was incredible. So much so, Caroline was finding it extremely difficult to keep quiet.

"I'm close already." She gasped and Damon moved his free hand and exposed his wrist in front of her mouth while his other hand rubbed between her folds and he continued to pound into her from behind. Caroline's face changed and she bit into his wrist just as her orgasm hit and she moaned against his wrist as her tight muscles clenched around Damon's cock. His eyes rolled into the back of his skull at how good it felt and he bit down into her exposed neck just as his own earth shattering orgasm struck and his seed exploded inside of her. They panted unnecessary breath as they came back down to earth and he was still wrapped around her. "That was amazing." Caroline gasped and he kissed the side of her neck that was already healed from his bite.

"God, I love you." He said without thinking then froze. He was so annoyed at himself for just blurting that out. He'd wanted to wait and make it nice and especially not after a kinky quickie in home depot! Caroline's eyes were wide and her jaw was a little dropped but before she could reply he pulled out of her and took his arms back and quickly fixed his clothes. "I'll... uh... Go get the paint." He said then ducked out of the paint mixing room before she could even _think _let alone speak...


End file.
